3 Renewal
by maroongrad
Summary: Set after Abraham. Alucard must come to terms with the loss of his first master, and learn to bond to new ones, eventually including Arthur. Walter does show up.  Rated T because of language.
1. Introduction to Characters

No, I don't own Hellsing. Darnit.

I'm shuffling this story into chronological order, now that it's finished. This story covers the period from Abraham's death until Arthur locks Alucard up, including the series of Masters he went through and both World Wars.

Here's a quick who's-who. Figure Dracula, published 1897, occurred in the last decade or two of the 1800's. Next generation was around about the turn of the century or a little before, and the grandkids arrived by about WW1. Masters of Alucard show up in ALL CAPS.

First Generation, featuring the characters from Dracula

ABRAHAM x Mary Hellsing

1. BEATRICE

2. JOHN and PAUL (twins)

3. Rachel

Arthur x Constance Holmswood

1. Josephine

2. Byron

Mina x Johnathan Harker

1. Robert

John Seward X ? (read Unpredictable and find out!)  
No children

x x x x x x

Second Generation Hellsing:

BEATRICE Hellsing x Harland Whitford, they had VICTOR, no other surviving children.

Robert Harker x Rachel Hellsing, they had ARTHUR and then much later Richard. Yes, THE Arthur.

JOHN Hellsing didn't have kids. At least, not that anyone knows about. We hope.

PAUL Hellsing x Josephine Holmswood. Two daughters, not named.

There were a lot of other kids involved, esp. in the grandkid generation and a handful of great-grandkids. But no one that comes into play and actually gets a name. 


	2. Heart Broken

*I'd intended a much longer chapter to cover Abraham's death; that was the intent when I started this. But I'm happy with what came out!*

Heart Broken

Abraham looked gently at the dejected monster. Mary had passed on a few years ago, and it had taken Alucard most of a year to resume his normal self. Abraham didn't feel that he, himself, had ever managed it. He'd never regained his former playfulness or his energy, but he'd done his job as Alucard's Master and Hellsing's Lord regardless. But he'd begun to flag, unable to do more than the very basics, and he'd had to call on help. Beatrice had brought her son, Victor, and the two of them had essentially been running Hellsing as Abraham slowly weakened.

He knew it was his heart, and Alucard had long since confirmed the problem. He knew he was dying, and was watching Alucard slowly tear to pieces with the knowledge. He couldn't go anywhere without a pair of miserable, anxious, heartbreaking red eyes following him, alternating with days when no one could find the vampire at all. And he'd been bedridden now for nearly a month, Alucard his constant companion. Yet again, the coffin was tucked into the nearby closet, and the vampire spent as little time as possible in it and as much time as possible in physical contact with Abraham.

x x x x x x

He knew Abraham's time was limited. Each day, the heart strained a little harder, the lips turned a shade more grey, the man slept a few minutes longer. Too old not to be a realist, he simply made the most out of every moment they had left together. He propped the pillows up when Abraham wished to sit, carried him to the window when he wished to look outside. He had unlocked his telepathy briefly, trying to save Abraham the effort of speaking, but he'd quickly shut it down.

Bad enough to know your master was dying, but simply rending to know that Abraham knew as well...and how much he worried for you.

Bea and Victor were his lifesavers. When Abraham slept, he would steal a few minutes to sneak away to them. They were losing their father and grandfather, and they mourned too. But Beatrice had her own home, husband, life. Victor had the University to attend, yet another Oxford educated Hellsing following after his uncles. It did not consume them as it did Alucard, who had built his entire existence with Abraham at the center, and therefore, they had a bit of time and concern to spare for him.

And to call the other members of the family together to decide who would be the next Master of the Monster. It was Alucard's decision, but the Round Table also had some impact on the decision. The Master would not only be Alucard's new master, but also a lord of some importance and a key member of the British military.

His clear choice was Beatrice, and it had been difficult for Abraham to make Alucard understand that Beatrice could not be his master.

x x x x x x

"Alucard, it cannot be Beatrice. Yes, she is capable. And that means capable of controlling you and leading Hellsing. But the troops will have difficulty following a woman, and the Lords will not respect her." A wry and understanding look. "And you won't be able to kill them for their disrespect, either. I have two sons you could choose from, and Arthur and Victor are both old enough that if you select them now, while I still live, the Lords will accept them."

A snort, and the vampire's rebuttal. "Arthur is a waste. He's spent his entire year at Oxford setting new records for alcohol consumption and worrying about illegitimate offspring. Victor is a child."

A nod from Abraham. "A child that has already told you off and demanded your respect. He's very young, yes. But intelligent and capable, and you like him." And here, Abraham solidified the choice. "He's young enough for you to mold into a good master. And if he is here, that gives Beatrice an excuse to remain, as well, or to visit often."

Alucard's eyes lit up slightly at this. Abraham knew how strong the bond between the two of them was, and her husband had been well-chosen and welcomed into the family by the vampire. He liked them both and would definitely not object to having them on the estate, and there was clearly a weak but developing bond with Victor as well as the young man aged into an adult. Beatrice, Master bond or not, could boss and order Alucard about as easily as his beloved Mary had, and on the very rare occasions when Abraham had been gone, she'd been his vampire-sitter of choice. Paul and John and Rachel were well-loved, too, and their children respected, but Beatrice was clearly Master material. And if Alucard chose Victor, he'd get to "keep" Beatrice, and that bribe was all that was needed.

x x x x x x

Alucard would have liked to discuss his choice more with Abraham, but even this short conversation had clearly exhausted his Master. Instead, he curled up by him on the bed, watching the difficult breaths of Abraham, and with the cold hand of his Master resting on his own.

The Round Table's acceptance was rather anticlimactic. Beatrice had married a man who was the son of one of the Lords and a relative to a handful of the others. They were content with having his son leading Hellsing despite the youth of Victor. Abraham was still alive, after all, so selecting a young heir wasn't a problem. Most felt that as John was the oldest male descendant, he should have had the honour. John's blatant refusal to accept the title surprised them, but he simply pointed out that Victor would have more control over Alucard than he would. As several of the older Lords remembered the near-attacks by the vampire over the decades, they were not inclined to challenge this. The family had carefully hidden from them just how weak Abraham had become, Alucard leaning up against his Master. Ostensibly, it looked as though Abraham were forcing him to stay close to avoid frightening the Lords while still allowing him to participate.

In reality, Alucard was holding Abraham up.

And so, the meeting ended, with Victor the choice as heir.

Victor was shocked at the selection. He was young, he had two uncles that would have been a better choice, in his opinion. And then Abraham released Alucard, breaking their bond, and as he and the vampire had designed, it moved on to Victor as the descendant that Alucard had chosen. Blood sealed the bond after a slight struggle where Alucard did a cursory testing of Victor's strength, and then Victor was firmly the new Master of the Monster.

Within a week, Abraham had passed on in his sleep.

x x x x x x

Beatrice moved in for several months, and John and to a lesser extent Paul stopped by regularly to help with the paperwork and running of the estate while Victor continued his schooling. Even John settled enough to come in and help out around the estate, or provide companionship when the vampire chose to be found.

Alucard spent his time either sitting in Abraham's former chair and staring at the wall for hours on end, or missing entirely. When Abraham had been moved to a medical-style bed, the vampire had claimed the bed he and Mary had shared for so many years. Now, he was claiming the office chair, and no one had the heart or inclination to take it from him. After a few days, it disappeared entirely. The vampire was fed regularly; as Victor learned the ropes of the organization, Beatrice went down daily to make certain the vampire fed as he needed to. She had the definite impression that if she hadn't made the effort, he wouldn't have bothered.

He was terribly depressed, and they had worried that he'd become destructive. Instead, he was simply a tragic recluse. Beatrice could not get him to speak; he'd start to respond, and then...fade away, going back to staring blankly at a wall or off into empty air. He refused to let anyone into his main rooms, meeting them instead in the antechamber. He'd normally have hissed at any visitor, but now, he just stared dully.

x x x x x x x

It was the first hunt that finally got him to snap out of his depression. They'd worried if he'd perform at all, and indeed, he'd simply leaned against Beatrice while vaguely watching the handful of ghouls approach. The soldiers had been able to dispatch the ghouls quickly, but the vampire was not present. Victor had commanded Alucard to go get the vampire, and he'd stumbled a few steps away, then paused, stopping entirely, shaking his head in a sort of dull confusion.

Seeing Alucard as no threat, and recognizing Victor as the leader, the vampire they were hunting attacked. No one even saw the shape hurtling out of the dark in a direct line towards Victor's throat, but Alucard did. His roar of absolute rage shattered the night as he ripped the other vampire out of the air, a blink before it would have killed Victor.

When Alucard finally stood from the bloody mess that had been a vampire, and it turned to dust, his eyes were alert again, glowing with a terrible vitality and awareness. He was coated with blood and gore, his mouth and chin painted red with more blood coating his neck and collar. And he was grinning at Victor, a challenging, proud grin.

Beatrice was never more proud of her son than when she saw him smile back, take a few steps forward, and place a gentle hand on his vampire's arm. "Thank you." With a smile, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of bloody hair behind the vampire's ear, then nodded toward the coach.

"Let's go home."

x x x x x x

Watching them interact, Beatrice smiled as well. Finally, she could go back to her own home! 


	3. Remembrance

*I do eventually want to "end" this series of stories with Abraham passing on, but it's not there yet. And I had a request for an angsty story, too. And this scene took up residence, refusing to leave until it made it up onto the screen.*

Remembrance

Alucard did truly like the new Sir Hellsing. He'd known him since he was a lad in a diaper, taught him to ride horses, and been delighted when the teenager had told him off for the first time. He'd be a fine Master, and Alucard had no qualms about leaving his welfare in the man's hands.

But he wasn't Abraham.

The vampire had taken Mary and Abraham's bed down to the dungeons where he stayed, and for years, it had been his habit to burrow into the coverings, drawing the faintest traces of scent out of the fabrics. It had been reassuring, a ghost of a memory of how he had been loved, of the man who had been his redemption and the woman that had helped to raise the young man now ruling him.

The scent had become fainter and fainter, and tonight, no matter how he fluffed up the mattress or how hard he pressed into it, that last, teasing reminder of his first true family...was gone. It now remained only in his memory. The clothes in the closets had long vanished, the traces of scent lingering in Abrahams old office chair, now gathering dust in the corner of his own room, all gone. But in lying on the bed, blankets piled about himself, he'd been able to take in their scent, and imagine himself back with them, expecting at any minute to feel Abraham wake, and curse him for stealing the blankets and leaving his master to freeze.

And now, that faint comfort was gone.

While his new master might respect him, like him, and accept the responsibility of controlling him, he was no Abraham, his wife no Mary.

And he never thought to ask why his vampire was so quiet and withdrawn. 


	4. Neglect

*Not every Hellsing is suitable to control Alucard...and when they falter, Bad Things Happen.*

Neglect

Alucard was stewing. There was no better word for it. He was unhappy, angry, frustrated, lonely, disappointed, vengeful, and more, all rolled into one. He'd been too upset for weeks to eat properly, he hadn't wanted to see anyone and had stayed hidden, and it had been months since he'd had ANY Hellsing blood.

And his Master had not noticed.

It had been nearly a year since his Master had bothered to speak with him outside of missions and directives. It hadn't been done maliciously, more of a sort of benign neglect, the totally unsubstantiated belief that the vampire would tell him if Alucard needed anything. The fool had clearly never bothered to read the journals and notes Abraham had been careful to prepare for future Masters of the Monster.

Alucard had not willingly bowed his neck to the yoke of a human master to be IGNORED. He'd waited, he'd given him time to notice that something was amiss, he'd been patient, he'd realized this was not Abraham and that the same level of affection and concern might be missing.

But this was too much.

And now, the arrogant fop was SUMMONING him. It was probably to command him to hunt another vampire, but Alucard held out a small but definite hope that instead, his Master wanted to know why he hadn't been eating propertly, why he was so silent, where he had been.

Swirling into the office through the wall, Alucard noticed instead the two officers for the human troops, armed and ready, and a map out on Abrahams-no, Victor's-desk. Victor opened his mouth, ready to command Alucard, oblivious to the anger and pain Alucard was not bothering to hide.

Instead of a quiet nod, his order, whatever it had been, earned a growl.

Alucard SNARLED at the man, eyes glowing, and for the first time in years, he FLEXED their bonds. Weakened by neglect, by a lack of Hellsing blood, his power fueled by anger, and with an inexperienced Master, those bonds CRACKED. He could FEEL them fracturing, the spells weakening, threatening to break entirely.

Victor gasped, leaning back in his chair, horrified eyes on the monster now stalking slowly and deliberately towards him. Its hair was waving, the eyes were glowing, burning bright with rage, and the mouth was all teeth.

Victor was a Hellsing. Son of Beatrice, grandson of Abraham. He'd been around Alucard often as a child, had ridden the beast like a pony, been rocked to sleep by it as a fussing infant. Alucard had been family, how could he turn on him like this?

He would find that answer out later. He was a Hellsing, and he WOULD NOT allow the vampire to rebel, to break away. The "how" would come later. For now, he called on his mental reserves, his own force of will, and slammed it into the bond that connected him and the monster. His body rose from the chair, fists clenched on the desk, his own eyes blazing in anger as he fought back, FORCING the beast to do his bidding. The bonds seemed to creak in his mind, he could feel them chipping, flaking away, but he pushed back, with the stubborn backbone and fierce mind of a true Hellsing.

The bond reformed.

Hissing, the monster backed away, subservient again, vanishing through the wall.

Coated with sweat, gasping as though he'd just raced across the estate, Victor slowly composed himself.

Blood. He'd forgotten to feed the monster his blood for...oh, God. He didn't even remember the last time. And that had allowed the spell to weaken, and his monster to rebel, to show his true colors, his evil and predatory nature.

Shuddering, Victor knew he'd have to bring the beast his own blood, strengthen the bond again, force it back into obedience.

In his mind, the sounds of the bond snapping and shattering echoed, the blazing and bloodthirsty visage of the monster as it stalked towards him, his own death written in its eyes.

x x x x x x

Within a month, Victor was passing leadership of Hellsing on to a cousin.

x x x x x x

In the dungeons far below them, red eyes glowed. 


	5. Support

*Victor might have had problems...but there are many more Hellsings out there. Including a few I've already mentioned...*

Support

He had not realized that Victor would ask his mother to come as well. Beatrice was an adult, well into middle age, strong and lively and vibrant, intelligent and wonderful, and Alucard would have accepted her as his Master with no hesitation at all.

But the Lords had decided that a woman should not run Hellsing, and with Beatrice's wedding to the son of a Round Table Lord, her offspring were an obvious choice for leading Hellsing. And Victor had seemed like such a good candidate, able to control the vampire, intelligent and capable himself.

And now he had failed, somehow, with Alucard, and Lady Beatrice had come to find out how.

She had left the men upstairs, storming down into the dark dungeons herself, ready to scream at, scold, chastise, and verbally destroy the monster that had thrown all their careful preparations out the window. She knew damned good and well how selfish, capricious, and unpredictable the beast was, and had written this off as a mere temper-tantrum, and her own son overreacting.

She knew every inch of those dungeons nearly as well as the vampire, and within minutes, she had stormed into his chamber, lantern and eyes blazing. What she had expected to find was a smirking monster lounging back in his chair, eyes laughing at the mortal and her concerns.

It took her a few moments to find him. He had a bed in his chambers, one she was shocked to recognize as her parent's, and was huddled into the threadbare and musty blankets that covered it. Pulling back the blankets revealed steel gray hair, at best a dull black, not the vibrant and rich, lustrous hair she remembered. A few more inches, and she realized that he'd buried his face in the pillows.

He seemed so...small. Broken. Instead of shouting at him, she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, softly stroking his arm. He rolled over, dazed and miserable eyes seeing her, blinking in stunned amazement. Without warning, he lunged for her...before she could react, she realized that there was no malice in that move, for he was no holding her as desperately as if he were a drowning man, sobbing into her shoulder.

Most of the night was spent holding the weeping vampire closely to her side, her own head pillowed on his soft black hair. She'd offered him her own blood after seeing the condition he was in, and the pathetic gratitude with which he'd taken it told her more of the neglect he'd experienced than anything else.

He was so lonely, she could feel it radiating off of him. She'd left briefly to tell the men she would be downstairs and should NOT be disturbed, then finding out where the vampire's blood was stored, and taking a few of the freshest bottles down to him. The small icebox was absolutely stuffed with blood, most of it gone congealed and rancid, and her anger at her son rose another notch.

Fed, and reassured, loved, cared for, and soothed, the vampire napped away the night next to her. He had looked so exhausted, she knew he hadn't been sleeping well, and was relieved to seem him now relaxing and drowsing, even at night.

When the sun rose and his nap slipped into the dead sleep of a vampire during the day, she lifted him carefully and gently placed him into his coffin. After a pause, she removed the light jacket she'd been wearing in the chill dungeon rooms, placing it by his head so that when he woke, it would be with her smell strong in his nose.

She knew the vampire and his quirks, knew that it would soothe and reassure him.

Beatrice herself planned to take a brief nap. Then, Victor would get the tongue-lashing she had planned for poor Alucard. 


	6. Guidebook

*Beatrice just rocks. :) It's amazing how a "Mary is Pregnant" story expanded to birth such a definitive character; it's Abraham in female form, with a bit more temper. I tied this in with Succession; now you know where it came from :D*

Guidebook

Beatrice had remained at Hellsing for weeks. She and her husband had taken over one of the bedrooms, and until a new Master was chosen, she was seeing to Alucard's well-being. They would be there until the new Master had settled into his role, and Alucard no longer needed her so very badly.

She'd been horrified to find out how little her son actually knew about the monster. As they'd grown, she'd brought all her children regularly to meet with and interact with Alucard, tried to create in them the level of comfort needed for them to master him if needed. She'd done so too well with Victor; his comfort level had become a comfortable acceptance of the vampire's subservience. His experience with Alucard when he was a child had somehow conveyed to him that, as an "adult", Alucard could take care of himself.

And he'd neglected the vampire shockingly.

The vampire never slept on his bed, rarely came to his study. He had no idea of how to get to the vampire's chambers himself. He knew where the blood was stored, and kept notes of the deliveries and payments among the other household receipts, but had not thought to track the vampire's consumption at all.

Abraham had left copious notes on the vampire, decades of journals from their long and happy time together. Mary and Beatrice had contributed their own...but she suspected the sheer volume of paper and the many, many mundane inclusions had led Victor to do no more than skim them.

This was going to change.

For the month that it took for Alucard to recover and select a new Master from the family, Beatrice was busily digging through notes and journals. When finished, she had a small book of her own, handwritten, with the information that a new master needed. Eventually, she planned to have it typed up, and hoped to receive Alucard's permission to include the binding spell and details of his own creation in it. The more familiar his Masters were with what and who he was and how they were actually bound, the stronger and more stable their relationships were likely to be.

As she worked, she often had a hand resting on the silky black head pressed against her knee, or felt a cheek come to rest on her head as the vampire passed by. Her husband was a good man, understanding when the vampire was found curled up on the foot of their bed one morning, patient and humble enough to play chess with the monster. He'd taken a "vacation" with his wife, and when he understood what had transpired, made a point of lavishing attention on Alucard himself. One of the high points of that month was when he had brought his two best riding horses, and taken the vampire on a fox hunt. Even though it meant being awake and outside during the day, Alucard had come back grinning, eyes sparkling, and bubbling about the horses and the experience.

Alucard's neediness ebbed under this constant attention. His bony frame filled back out to merely slender, his eyes glowed with happiness, and he spent most evenings draped somewhere about Beatrice, purring contentedly as she worked on the book to describe him and his requirements. He added his own information from time-to-time, helping to create a detailed and well-rounded document. It was weeks of reading, writing, summarizing, and explaining, and it was with a sense of pride and relief that Beatrice finished the last bit of proofreading on the last page.

For now, she had a guide for his new Master, one to help prevent him from making the same foolish mistakes that Victor had.

She had also left Alucard with a plentiful supply of paper, stamps, envelopes, and ink, and the unmistakable order to write to her immediately if there should be a problem again. 


	7. Selection

*Time to replace Victor. I'd intended to put the selection of the new master in this chapter, but it didn't happen. Hopefully, the next one will. And yes, I do know who it will be. And no, it's not Arthur, not yet...*

Selection

The Hellsings had all gathered at the Estate. Victor was technically in charge, as Lord Hellsing and the current Master of the Monster, but no one doubted that it was Beatrice running the show. She was seated on the couch in the library, and Victor was at the great desk, but it was her lap that Alucard sprawled across, and she was the one providing the information.

Victor was remaining as silent and unobtrusive as possible. If he did anything to draw the eyes of the monster to him, he invariably got a hiss. Shaking and stressed, nerves frayed from the last month of outward hostility that the vampire had displayed, he was only too happy to hand the meeting over to Beatrice, and keep the wooden desk between himself and Alucard.

His concern was noted by the others. Robert Harker and his wife Rachel, with their sons Arthur and Richard, were eyeing the clearly irate monster, clearly unnerved themselves. John, the lifelong bachelor, was more at ease, chatting happily with his twin Paul, his wife Josephine minding the little ones as their two children went tumbling about underfoot. There had been some debate earlier in the afternoon about restricting the children to the nursery, but memories had won out. And so a handful of children now tumbled about the floor, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Abraham and Mary.

Beatrice was glad to have the children about. The vampire had a definite soft spot for the little ones, and would restrain himself in their presence. They would also be likely to keep him entertained and happy, and indeed, when he wasn't glaring at Victor, he was likely to be keeping an eye on the children with a soft smile on his face.

"As you all know, Victor and Alucard are not as compatible as we had hoped." Beatrice's calm announcement cut through the mild chatter, clearly stopping the socializing and focusing their attention on the purpose of the meeting itself. "Victor was not aware of the requirements of controlling Alucard, specifically his care. I've taken time to write a booklet of detailed directions and descriptions, and will be remaining in contact to make certain that other...issues...do not arise." She glanced fondly down at the monster in her lap, meeting his warm red eyes with a protective smile of her own.

"He's currently still bonded to Victor. The binding continues to shield him and keep him sane, but he's more than willing to break it if he finds one of you a suitable Master instead." Her very serious eyes met theirs. "He requires attention and care. You need to be prepared to build a portion of your life around him. His needs and requirements are not human, and he does not react in a human manner if they are not met. Humans will not attempt to eat the person neglecting them." Victor shuddered.

"The bond can be transferred to one of you, and during that transfer, Alucard will test your willpower. You need to have moral strength, for that is needed to balance the monster in him, to restrain it, and for him to have faith that you will not abuse him. You need willpower, the ability to force him to obey you when needed, and not to flinch at what is necessary. He WILL test you. You need more than simply strength; you need kindness, as well. That, I think, is what he respected most about my father and mother. They kept him from acting a monster, but they also showed him affection and consideration."

It was now her turn to glare at Victor. "Failing to show that to Alucard nearly cost Victor his life." Then back to the others.

"Managing Alucard is the key. You will also need to run the Hellsing Institution, but you can appoint assistants and find competent help if that is not something you are comfortable with or competent at yourself. Victor has been extremely good at the business side of Hellsing and at leading the troops, but I don't expect he'll be staying to help." An icy look at her son. "He will be available for consulation."

A sigh. "This needs to be decided in the next day or so, no more than a week if possible. Victor and Alucard are miserable, and the Round Table is pushing us to make a decision; the Lordship needs to be settled as quicly as we can. I do ask each of you to interact with Alucard. He'll be testing each of you as well, deciding who he can trust as a Master. Set your limits. Be a Hellsing. You have all been around the vampire most of your lives, but instead of a companion, you're now being inspected for the role of Master, and him as your servant. It is a covenant between you, and you will find it very stressful and difficult, but rewarding."

An encouraging smile. "Father never regretted his bond to Alucard, and they both benefited enormously. Your own bond will be different, but I would hope just as happy. You must uphold your end of the bargain. He offers his service and loyalty, and in return, you MUST take care of him. This means more than simply making certain blood supplies arrive each week and that he has a room in the dungeon." Again, a glare at her son. Alucard shifted in her lap, easing gracefully upright, then giving the entire room a curious, but inherently suspicious and distrustful, glance.

Beatrice sighed. She loved Victor dearly, and she knew that Alucard, despite his deep disappointment, was still fond of him as well. But dammit, his ham-handed mishandling of Alucard was going to make it very hard for the beast to choose a new master. He was radiating distrust and a small amount of fear, and that meant that, deliberately or not, he was coming across as menacing.

It was going to be a very long week; she didn't expect him to choose before then. She just hoped that Victor lasted that long; he looked frayed, frazzled, and frightened. Alucard looked suspicious, angry, and deeply, deeply uncertain. The rest of the room looked intimidated.

And then one of the children came toddling up to Alucard, hands reaching for his silky black hair. The vampire was quick to move the child to his lap, irritation and distrust fading under the pleasure of having a child in the house again, a Hellsing at that. Victor had no children, and it had been well over a year since there had been any sort of gathering of the family at all.

Alucard had missed children nearly as much as he had missed having a proper master!

With a pleased eye, Beatrice noticed the couples and the few singles in the room relaxing, remembering not just the predatory and angry glares Alucard had been directing at Victor, but childhoods spent playing with the monster. Conversation picked back up, parents encouraging their own children to visit with Alucard, and a few even beginning conversations of their own with the monster.

Slowly but surely, the familiar and loving sense of family grew in the room, dispelling the fear and mistrust. It helped even more when Victor quietly slipped out the door.

Beatrice smiled. Maybe her monster would find a new Master soon, after all. 


	8. Not Masters

*I wanted to do one from Alucards POV as the family interacted with him. I have a set of exams to grade tonight, but chances are good the next chapter will go up tonight anyways. ;) *

Not Masters

They were good people. He honestly liked them, he enjoyed their company. They were family, friends, and a sense of security and continuity. They had all contributed to his meals, the abundance of Hellsing blood easing a hunger that donated blood could not touch. It was thoughtful, and they were kind, and he was glad they were here.

But they weren't Masters. It was good having them here, but the only person he wanted as a Master was the one he was with. Beatrice was running her fingers through his hair, much like Abraham had, and her soft lap cushioned his head. The others came and went, stopping to speak, the children came and climbed on him, and he interacted with them all, but at the center of all this was Beatrice.

She was his rock, the foundation on which his shakey existence was being rebuilt after the disaster with Victor. The only thing lacking was that the Lords would not permit a female Hellsing in charge of a military organization. He understood that, his own chauvinistic mindset had only changed when he'd created vampiric offspring of his own and come to respect the intelligence, fire, and power a woman could hold.

A woman like Beatrice.

If he couldn't find a suitable candidate among the family, he'd insist on Beatrice. It might take some finangling, but if that was how it must be, that was how it must be. An unsuitable Master could be more of a disaster than Victor had been. His eyes glowed and his hand tightened on Beatrice's leg as he considered that he might have to fight to keep her.

Despite the stress that thought invoked, he simply couldn't stay angry or worried.

Not with gentle fingers running through his hair, heat soaking into him from her warm lap, and a pleasantly full stomach. 


	9. New Master

*I'm procrastinating...but it got y'all a chapter. ;)*

New Master

John Hellsing wasn't entirely sure what to do. He didn't want to piss off the vampire, and he really, REALLY did not want to piss off his sister. Beatrice's gaze let him know that if A happened, B was sure to follow.

But he could run Hellsing; he'd helped his father in the office many times over the years. With a twinge of guilt, he remembered that he'd also helped Victor many times, too...and never asked after Alucard. But here the vampire was, sprawled across both his lap and Beatrice's, demanding that John take over Hellsing.

He'd passed over John before. A lifelong bachelor, John had made no secret of his womanizing ways, but he was more strong-willed than his twin, and Alucard had chosen him over the others presented. Before, when Victor was chosen, Alucard had passed him by without explanation. And now he had that explanation.

A red eye cracked open, gazing up at him peacefully. "You did not have self-control when you were younger, and if you could not control yourself, you could not have controlled me. You have matured, and the man you are now is much improved over the man you were then."

A smile, then, as the vampire made himself even more comfortable in John's lap. "And I've missed this." "This" referred to the backscratching the beast was receiving. Alucard had always whined for a backscratch when he wanted attention, but only from John. No one ever figured out why, but apparently something about either his nails or his approach turned the vampire into undead jelly. Abraham and Beatrice could do that to Alucard by playing with his hair. John had the ability to do it to the monster with a few minutes of scratching its back. Entirely absurd, that an ancient, bloodsucking, violent, undead monster would be so totally unarmed by such minor and intimate physical comforts, but there it was.

Victor had been drunk when he told them what the vampire had done. Even with the alcohol in his system, the meeting of potential heirs had been led by a shaking, terrified, and traumatized man. John didn't know if Alucard had truly intended to kill Victor, but Victor certainly thought so. Unlike Victor, John had accompanied Alucard on a few hunts, not simply remained back with the human troops, and knew what the monster was capable of. Domesticated he might appear to be, but there was a vicious, cruel monster in that body, not just the gentle babysitter they remembered. Victor might not ever have truly realized this, but John knew very, very well what Alucard was like.

John had seen him, grinning through a face full of blood, and launching himself, snarling, at prey. He'd seen the vampire taunt and torture one of the Sidhe, until Abraham had forced him to stop "playing" and kill the poor screaming thing. Granted, he'd also seen the vampire give a quick death to an unwilling, half-mad fledgling forced into vampirism. But if they went after a murdering monster, then Alucard had to be watched closely, to keep him from "playing with his food."

Victor hadn't watched him. And he'd kept the vampire hungry, frustrated, and upset.

The monster was draped almost bonelessly across them, purring contentedly, looking entirely harmless and innocent. Yes, John would serve as his Master.

But he couldn't help wondering what horrible atrocities the vampire had committed while hunting under Victor's care. 


	10. Coat

*A reviewer mentioned how "bare" this story was concerning John and Paul, and I had to agree. And then this scene crept into my head, leading to the Unexpected Chapter "Family Portrait." And while I realize I'm detouring, I wanted to fill in a bit for John, brief though his stay was, and detail the mental image I had of Alucard and the picture. Once again, should anyone choose to help sort the chapters into order (even SOME of them) that would be deeply appreciated!*

Coat

John hadn't spent much time personalizing the office. He remembered all the accoutrements his father had in there, though... A humidor on the desk. Lamps, a few nice paintings, carvings and images collected over the years of his travels, pictures of his family, and more.

Victor had kept the desk barren of all but the essential papers he was working on. More efficient, perhaps, but John felt a pang of nostalgia for the comfortable clutter he'd seen spread across his father's desk, and which he'd always been surprised to find was actually well-organized. A faint smile on his face at the memory of his father's ability to always find the document he was looking for, at first try, even if it had a kid's stuffed toy, a tea saucer, and seven files on top of it.

One of the first things he had done had been to locate some of his father's effects. He'd found an old photograph, probably from the first estate, as he didn't recognize the great staircase in the background. Beatrice, that had to be her in Mother's arms, was still a baby, and he and Paul wouldn't have been born yet. Alucard stood behind them, looking exactly the same as he had since Paul had known him, though his parents...they were younger than he was. Not by much, but it was startling to see them at the start of founding the Hellsing legacy.

A touch of cold on his neck, and he realized with a start that Alucard was behind him. A thin white hand reached past him, gently lifting the picture from his hands. John turned, seeing Alucard looking at the picture with an intent, faintly...lost...expression. Both Mary and Abraham were gone, lost due to age after a long and healthy span, and the vampire was clearly drinking in the image of them in their healthy, powerful prime. The red eyes and cold face were nearly expressionless, and John recognize the mask for what it was, laying a gentle hand on Alucard's shoulder.

"I miss them, too."

A cold cheek rested briefly on his fingers, and then Alucard pulled away from him, still holding the picture tightly. A few steps from the wall, he paused, studying the picture in his hands once more. The silky white shirt vanished abruptly, a wash of red cascading from Alucard's shoulders and down his back, the vampire donning himself in the great red coat John remembered his father wearing.

Abraham's coat had been worn and patched, stained and torn after decades of hunting. The vampire had recreated it as it was in the image; not new, no, there were a few tears along the hem and it had the soft shape of a well-worn garment, not the stiffness of one that was new.

The vampire vanished through the wall, and over the next few weeks, John became accustomed to the bright red form, where he had known black and white for so many years. He did take time, though, to dig about through the attic and find the negative for the picture. He was not about to remove Alucard's picture from the vampire's room; mostly because the vampire was rarely sentimental, but when he was, his attachment to the object was absolutely fierce. But partly because, much as he loved the vampire, he was terrified of him as well, and going into those dark, chill chambers knowing Alucard was there was simply more than he could handle.

It was only a week, and the new picture was printed, gleaming at him from a bright gold frame atop his comfortably cluttered desk. It was good to look to his parents sometimes when he needed help. And he desperately needed help. He could manage everything well, he could inspire the troops, verbally joust with the Lords, and face down the vampires they hunted with courage.

But what he couldn't do was handle Alucard, and every time he flinched away, the hurt look in the vampire's eyes tore at him a bit...and then the anger that flared behind it chipped away at his confidence just that bit more. 


	11. Failure

*John is a really nice guy. But it takes more than nice to handle Alucard. At least this one knows when he's out of his depth!*

Failure

The vampire frightened him. He hated to admit it, but John was absolutely terrified of Alucard. It was one thing to have him firmly under Abraham's control, or (apparently) under Victor's, or to be obeying Beatrice. The vampire wasn't frightening then; he was family. Terrible as Alucard might be, John had never actually feared him, feared for his own well-being.

And now that had changed. He knew that Alucard could turn on him, as Alucard had turned on Victor. He'd seen exactly what those teeth and claws could and would do to prey. And whenever he started to doubt his ability to control the monster, the monster KNEW.

Molten red eyes would turn to stare at him, an evil smirk would lift a corner of the mouth, a sharp little fang would peek out...and then Alucard would HOVER. The vampire would dog John's steps until Hellsing finally came up with some random excuse to leave the estate for a few hours. Sometimes he'd simply order the vampire out, but he always got the feeling the vampire was humoring him when it left, and could return at any time.

The vampire hadn't tried to break the bonds, hadn't tried to attack him, had obeyed every order. John tried to be affectionate to Alucard, and there were several nights each week when the vampire would come seeking that affection. It was peaceful when the monster stretch across his lap, purring with delight, but John couldn't shake the mental image of the vampire suddenly rolling over and going for his throat. Yes, those moments were peaceful, but only on the surface.

And waking up with the monster on the bed was no longer annoying, it was terrifying.

John had lost weight, he knew he'd aged ten years in the months he'd had Alucard as his servant. He wasn't sleeping well, wasn't eating well, and he was incredibly nervous. The slightest sound had him jumping out of his chair, feeling the ghosting touch of fangs on his neck.

He couldn't do this. He could love the monster, could support him, could protect him...but he was the deer telling the lion what to do. And while the lion was obeying currently, at any moment it could grow tired of the game and eat the deer, casually swatting the neck and killing its prey without a second thought or the slightest effort.

It was absolutely terrifying.

And so, John had typed up a dozen letters, summoning the Hellsings again, and calling to his older sister to save him. 


	12. Third Time

*I had INTENDED to work on Unpredictable and Succession. But this time period has just sort of sucked me in; those stories are likely to sit for a bit as I put together this new one. Totally unexpected...but fun. Beatrice is a fun character to write, and seeing the selections from Alucard's viewpoint is a challenge but interesting, too. And it seems to be popular...so, here's your next chapter!

Third Time's the Charm

There were options. Richard was much much too young, still in short pants. Maybe in a decade or more... He WAS Beatrice and Harland's son, although much younger than Arthur, and certainly brilliantly smart. But far, far too young, not even at adolescence. Certainly someone to consider in the distant future, but not now.

Rachel Harker, while Beatrice's sister, lacked her fire. She was certainly confident, relatively intelligent, capable, but Alucard knew he'd run right over her. And if he got to pick a woman, he'd have Beatrice in a moment.

John...had been a bit of a disaster. Not only had he likely permanently alienated the man, but Beatrice had verbally torn a chunk out of his hide. She was firmly convinced that had Alucard treated John with a bit of care initially, the man would have become confident enough to lead him.

Alucard didn't want to follow someone he had to handle with kid gloves. Either the man could master him, or he couldn't. John couldn't. And he was now apparently terrified of Alucard, off drinking with Victor and Arthur.

Arthur was alright. Too prone to drinking and womanizing; Alucard didn't know if the man would have the strength of mind to control himself and a vampire. It was the same problem John had when he was younger. Alucard was not about to bind himself to a drunken, debauching sot.

John's brother Paul...that was an option, too. He wasn't going to be very good at running Hellsing, frankly. Paperwork was not an ability he possessed. The man could misspell the shortest of words, and forget about adding up two numbers and getting the same result twice in a row. He was a master politician, though. Perhaps a clerk would be able to handle Hellsing for him.

But could Paul handle HIM? The monster pondered this. After all, this was the IMPORTANT consideration. When a child, Paul had always been more aggressive than John, harder to frighten. He was confident, outgoing, friendly...it was highly unlikely he'd attempt to mistreat Alucard. Another plus was his children, he and Josephine had a pair of fine daughters already, who just might be as suitable as Beatrice was. Morally...he wasn't Abraham, but he did have a fine sense of conscience.

He had no fire, though. He might be capable, but he'd be a boring master. Part of the fun of Abraham had been being shouted out of his office. Even Beatrice bent his ear at times, telling him off roundly. Mary Hellsing had bossed him mercilessly, expecting him to follow her commands, which he'd done with a grin on his face and often, deliberately, "accidentally" misunderstood. Victor had won his heart when, barely into his teens, he'd absolutely blistered Alucard's ears with insults and reprimands after the vampire quite purposefully embarassed him in front of lady he was pursuing. John was much harder to anger, but if he'd tried, Alucard knew he'd have gotten a marvelous explosion out of him. Paul...was a milksop. It was an English term, and so very appropriate. The man was BORING. Solid, stable, intelligent, friendly, and utterly, utterly uninteresting.

There were others a generation younger, or the youngest of Abraham's grandchildren, like Richard, that might do in the future.

In the meantime, could he make do with Paul? He was Abraham's son, the child of Mary; he was family. He would probably be competent enough as a Master, he certainly wouldn't neglect his vampire as badly as Victor had, or be as easy to frighten as John. He was made of a stronger fiber than Arthur or any of that younger generation, possibly excepting Victor.

He wasn't Beatrice. But he might do.

And...John Seward had passed away. He'd been more than a decade older than Winters, and Alucard rather thought the man might be lonely. It was entirely possible he could be tempted to come work at Hellsing, and cover for Paul's inadequacies. Yes...it might work. Manipulative gears clicking, Alucard wandered off to find Beatrice and let her know what he had decided. 


	13. Paul

*So, how DID Paul do?*

Paul

It had been...easier...than expected.

The vampire had tried to intimidate him a few times, looming over the desk, creeping up behind him so that he'd turn around and find himself face-to-chest. He'd found the vampire in his chair, and been hissed at when he made Alucard move. He'd also already raised two strong-willed, somewhat spoiled daughters through their teenage years. If they hadn't managed to get him upset, the vampire wasn't going to succeed at it, either.

It had taken him awhile to realize what was going on, although Beatrice's handy book had certainly helped. The vampire was testing him. A few letters sent to his brother and nephew confirmed he'd done the same thing with them. Vincent had shouted him out of the office. John had tried to ignore the monster. Paul wasn't inclined to do either.

The next time Alucard showed up, Paul handed him a large stack of papers. He hated paperwork, and knew he was completely incompetent at it.

"If you're going to hang around so much, don't be surprised if you start earning your keep. Pull out all the ones that deal with the last month's purchases for the troops, then sort them out by date, newest on top."

Alucard looked surprised, but the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth and the slight glow to his eyes also showed that he was pleased.

By the end of the evening, they were both content. Alucard had a productive evening, spent in close proximity to his master, with something to occupy both his hands and his mind. Paul had gotten a secretary of sorts; the vampire had taken notes, worked on the accounts (although a better accountant would definitely be needed for the more complex calculations), even offered a few suggestions.

The vampire was currently leaning against the side of Paul's chair, mellow red eyes blinking occasionally as he scanned through documents, checking for errors. Paul puffed quietly on a pipe, then smiled slightly to himself. The vampire hadn't taken much blood at all during the binding ceremony, after all; barely a mouthful, if that.

Alucard had ignored the faint sounds coming from his Master as they worked. He hadn't gotten a new book in years, and while reading reports of field work and munitions purchases wasn't exactly an entrancing read, it nevertheless helped fill a certain hunger he'd been ignoring. And then the scent of Hellsing blood hit his nostrils, causing his head to jerk upright and crack against the wooden arm of the chair.

He twisted to look up at his master, expecting to see a papercut or similar. Instead, there was a small cut on the wrist, and with a gentle smile, Paul was extending the wound to him. On the table sat the alcohol and silver knife; the scent of brandy from the small amount in Paul's "nightcap" had hidden the scent from Alucard.

Both men smiled, the vampire purring slightly as he accepted the gift.

No, there was no fire. But there was definitely wisdom and companionship and infinite patience.

This could work. 


	14. Success

*Never forget, he's a total bastard on the inside... He's got his good points, but oh, yeah...he's an evil monster!*

Success

Their first hunt as Master and Servant hadn't gone well. Alucard had been furious that Paul wouldn't let him "play" with the monster he'd found. It wasn't much of a monster; short, fat, ugly, wrinkled, and grey, although it'd had an impressively large set of teeth when it shrieked at them in anger. Huge blunt ones, more suited to the mouth of a chimpanzee than the small monster they'd found.

It had been inside an old estate, once owned by a noble family, but now owned by a well-to-do merchant. The history of the estate had spoken of the "hob" for centuries; it was credited with waking a family when there was a fire, killing a thief, and keeping away the vermin common to the area. A descendant of that now impoverished family had verified that she remembered them leaving out a bowl of milk for the "family hob" every few nights. It had been considered a somewhat frightening guardian; one to be respected, but appreciated.

Paul could understand that. It sounded very familiar, in fact.

And when the house had been sold and the family moved away, the Hob had stayed. The current family wasn't following the old traditions of leaving out a bowl of milk or being in any way thankful for the Hob's guardianship. And just like Victor, they'd found that one does NOT neglect the family monster. Previously, signs of irritation had been minor damage to the house itself. Blocked chimneys, hingepins on doors missing, all the butter and cream soured overnight. With family, the Hob never went any further, and they'd always been quick to apologize to their invisible guardian and restore good relations.

But this monster wasn't "family" to them. They'd ignored its petty vengeances, blaming and firing old staff members familiar to the house and its quirks, and removing their source of information. And so, frustrated, its vengefulness went far beyond terrifying the head of the family like Alucard had done to Victor. Of the dozen former residents of the house, only three remained after the first two years. Random accidents, such as a staircase rug that slipped and resulted in a broken neck, or tripping while walking down the stairs, or leaning on a bannister that cracked, had killed them. Horses spooked and trampled one young daughter, and one little child had died from infection after a rat had gotten into the crib and left severe bites.

When the Hob's anger had turned to murder, Hellsing became involved.

With Alucard's ability to happily chase it through walls and to detect the Hob, even with it invisible to the others, catching the murdering beast had been child's play.

It had been several minutes before the rest of the group, Paul included, had been able to catch up to the vampire; he was behind several locked doors in the maid quarters in the attic. The Hob was still alive when they found Alucard.

Paul wasn't sure how it was still alive, with that many organs arranged on the floor about it. It had lost the ability to scream when the vampire had taken apart its voice box, but it was weakly thrashing in agony. Alucard was smiling happily as he gently worked loose yet another bit of bowel, leaning over his toddler-sized prey with a sort of sick, studious enjoyment that horrified Paul.

He had been baffled at why Paul insisted that he kill the creature immediately, then furious when Paul insisted. He'd been looking forward to at least another ten or fifteen minutes of fun, having been very, very careful to avoid nicking or damaging any main arteries or veins. It took EFFORT, and now he'd have to WASTE that effort. Shouting was matched by snarling, and it took getting directly in the vampire's face and TWISTING the bond to finally get the monster to back down and obey.

Paul hated having to hurt Alucard. But this sort of behavior COULD NOT be allowed. He shouted the vampire back into obedience, forcing him to obey his orders. With a grumble, the vampire beheaded the Hob, and then Paul refused to let him eat and absorb his prize, instead having them troops come to remove it and burn it. Alucard was furious at that; he was well accustomed to absorbing any strange and new creature he encountered, adding a fraction of its abilities to his own, learning about the new monster.

But for his disobedience, he was deprived of his treat.

Paul refused to even look at Alucard on the trip back, still furious with him. Alucard had curled up in the back seat of the car, head buried in the join between seat back and car side, blatantly ignoring his Master and pouting.

In truth, the vampire was hiding his grin. He'd had to miss out on eating the Hob. It was entirely insane and undeniably evil, and not very strong, either...but it was New. And he'd wanted it. But it was so very, very worth it.

He'd finally gotten Paul mad. 


	15. Needed

*So, DID Winters arrive at Hellsing after all?*

Needed

The offer had been kind, but it had taken a few weeks before he'd been ready to accept. The house had seemed so empty, and he'd needed time to adjust. Time to execute the will, to make sure the asylum continued to run smoothly...time to mourn.

He'd been given the time, although the condolences and concern of the Hellsings had replaced that of the relatives who'd long ago written him out of their lives. He hadn't seen his nearest blood relation in decades. And yet the Hellsings, even that brash young Arthur, had each and every one of them taken the time to write to him, to stop by, to see that he had the support he needed.

And then Alucard had asked him to come to Hellsing. Paul was a complete loss at administrative work. Intelligent enough, certainly competent as a leader and Master, but Alucard had included a few samples of Paul's writing, and it was clear the position would be no sinecure. And it was also clear that Alucard wanted him there. The vampire had always enjoyed his company, and he and John had been the only two non-family members welcomed by the vampire into his home and life, or unlife, as the case may be.

He'd worked with John for decades, helping to run both the small household and the asylum. Helping to run Hellsing wouldn't be that much different. It would be work, and being idle had not agreed with him. He could have continued on at the asylum, but he wasn't needed, and there were a dozen competent hands able to take over his position.

Paul, though... He glanced back down at the few notes of Paul's that the vampire had tucked in.

Paul definitely needed him.

And so, once he was ready, he found himself packing his belongings and hiring a cab and porters to move him to Hellsing. 


	16. Moody

*Just wanted to post SOMETHING. It's been a busy few weeks!*

Moody

Alucard had been moody lately, to put it mildly. Paul had been his Master for several months and while the vampire delighted in making him pull his hair out...he wasn't usually, well, morose. He could be evil, manipulative, and craft exacting plots for his own entertainment, certainly. He could be as demanding as any spoiled lap cat. His sense of humor ranged from grotesque and macabre to childishly silly. The vampire had been clingy and needed, and slowly changed to being absent most nights.

And last night, the vampire had come out on the hunt, as commanded. He'd killed the vampire without any of his usual joy and gusto, the spring gone out of his step, and then stared blankly out the car window for the entire trip home. He'd drank his meal, but Paul had called him to the office to brief him on the hunt, and had it waiting for him. The vampire had been told to eat quickly, and he had...but he hadn't polished the bottle clean at all. Normally, there was at most a few smears left in the bottle, not a half-inch of blood smeared down the sides and congealed in the bottom.

He'd been at a complete loss as to what was causing his vampire to become so withdrawn, but a few telegrams off to his brother, Victor, and sister Beatrice had been...enlightening. The first two had no suggestions, but Beatrice had quietly reminded him that their father had died on this date.

Even after Victor's years of Mastery, then John's and Paul's shorter terms, Alucard still clearly grieved.

And while the telephone calls he'd received back from his family helped clarify why the creature was so upset, they didn't really offer any solution other than the obvious; console Alucard and allow him as much contact as he would permit. And tonight, he had that damnable Round Table meeting. It wasn't the full Round Table, but he and a pair of the other Lords would be going over security at an upcoming Royal Function. Hellsing troops were always added to the Royal guards, in case an attacker had any supernatural abilities. And if not, well, they were all excellent shots and superior to most of the other military members in Britain!

It would be a brief meeting, more detailing how many and when and possible avenues of attack, but thanks to the continued...respect...the Lords held for Alucard, it would not be at Hellsing Estate.

And so, a few hours later, Paul found himself joining the small meeting in the comfortable paneled room in another Estate. Winters followed behind him, ready to take notes and provide information as requested. And under his jacket, a rather large vampire bat hung suspended. Alucard had a smaller form, but had chosen this larger one for the evening. Rather than making an issue of it, Paul had simply chosen a larger, bulkier jacket that helped conceal the extra size, then ignored the vampire's presence.

The meeting had involved stretching across a diagram of the palace, placing a few markers to denote troop positions, and various other motions. And with every movement, the jacket pulled tight across the bat, annoying the vampire. Already moody, Paul feared he wouldn't tolerate much more of this, but refusing to move about and participate wasn't an option either.

The growl coming from his chest inspired amusement as it was initially mistaken for his stomach, but that ended in seconds as the black head of the bat squirmed loose from the jacket's confines. Panicking was held in check as Paul simply sighed and carefully stroked his beast's head.

And then the vampire pulled the rest of his body out...launched into the air for a single wingstroke...and landed on Winter's lap. The man was far more sedentary than Paul, simply taking notes, and perfectly willing to move papers about to provide a comfortable place for Alucard to rest against his chest.

The meeting continued, the Lords alternating between nervousness and amazement. They were well aware of what the vampire could do...

But his obvious affection and the pure relaxation he'd achieved once he'd gotten his head shoved under Winter's chin, his hind feet hooked into a waist pocket, and his wing fingers gripping the man's shoulders...was very NOT expected.

And when Winters idly scratched at the beast's neck, triggering a contented squeak, it took effort from Paul to pull them away from their shocked curiousity and back to work on the plans!

His offer of warm blood, bringing the vampire along to the meeting, and Winter's presence had helped pull the vampire out of his funk. The last necessary ingredient had apparently been frightening the Lords simply by existing...and Alucard certainly seemed pleased! 


	17. Mastered

*warning, this is another sad one. And it might actually be a good ending point for the story, as such...although I intend to add more! There's lots to say still about this time in Alucard's existence, and what happened with this last master*

Mastered

The mud pulled at his feet, making him truly struggle to keep up with the soldiers, to lead them. He wasn't that old, but he was old enough to have daughters that were courting, and that meant he was old enough that the youngest troops were outdoing him on the field.

And he couldn't seem to get his breath, his chest hurting with each gasp. They'd had to race after the ghouls, finding them nearly to the outskirts of a town while the soldiers were still three fields behind. They'd caught them, but it had been a near thing, the last ghoul killed in someone's yard.

And now, the soldiers were coming to him, reporting, and Alucard was there. It was hard to focus, his head hurt so much, and he just wanted to sleep. It wasn't that late, barely midnight, why was he so tired? And the vampires were dead. Why was Alucard so frightened?

x x x x x

The Hellsing physician came out of the room, shaking his head to tell the family what Alucard could already hear.

Paul was young for this, but he'd had a case of rheumatic fever as a child, and his heart had been damaged then. The cold, the mud, the rain, the frantic race to stop the ghouls, it had been too much for him.

He was dying, and within a few days at most and possibly now.

x x x x x x x x

Winters was calling the family, ringing them out of their beds, within the hour. Alucard sat by his Master, weeping quietly, and hoping against hope that the heart he could hear faltering would last long enough for him to choose a master. Beatrice, Paul's daughters, hell, he'd even take that rake Arthur or the barely-adult Richard, spoiled conniver that he was.

He'd rather have Paul. But humans were so frail, so mortal, and he was reminded again of the old Romani matriarch who'd died on him so suddenly. And Paul seemed ready to pass on himself, although clearly fighting his damndest to stay for Alucard's sake.

x x x x x x x x

The scattered family was terrified of the distraught monster. Victor had taken a place as far from Alucard as he could, John was emotionally distraught and in tatters from the death of his beloved twin. Richard wasn't even present, for which Alucard was grateful. The lad had been over damned few times in the last decade-plus, and Alucard had managed to avoid him each time. He'd seen before the boy was even an adolescent that, Rachel's son and Abraham's grandson notwithstanding, the boy was a complete loss. He took after his grandfather Johnathan far too much, and only the bad traits, none of the good.

Arthur, surprisingly, seemed to be entirely sober. No longer the gad-about he'd been, but...mature. Less affected by the death than Beatrice, who'd lost her little brother. He reminded Alucard fondly of Mina in the way he held his head and his no-nonsense, calm approach to the swirl and calamity about him. His steady presence and clear leadership ability - when had THAT appeared? - kept the family settled and stable, the hysterics to a minimum.

Paul had passed away just past dawn, and Alucard was holding on to his sanity by the barest connection. He could feel the bond, searching and seeking among the Hellsings, trying to convince him to choose someone.

They all seemed worthless. Terrified of him, too young, too meek, or too shattered by the loss. Beatrice held him close, trying to soothe him, but desperately in need of soothing herself, and he was torn between screaming his pain and ripping into the hot human bodies about him.

This was Abraham's family. He could no more kill them than he could have actually hurt Victor, Beatrice's son.

But it was so hard to resist. And the bond kept pulling at him to choose. But choose whom?

And then Arthur noticed how tense and strained he looked, how washed-out, how his hair had lightened, and put together those facts to realize something that should have been obvious to Alucard. The monster had been so distraught for the last couple of days that no one had taken care of the basics.

x x x x x x

BLOOD. He smelled it, right under his nose, and blinked himself back to reality with a hiss. Arthur was standing there, holding a full and opened bottle under his nose, waiting expectantly, with a second bottle bulging out the pocket of his coat.

Hungry, he was so hungry, how had he not noticed how hungry he was? When had he last eaten? He didn't know, couldn't remember, and snatched the bottle from Arthur's hand, sucking it down desperately. A second bottle was pushed into his hands, and he drank it more slowly, no longer so tormented.

When he finished, the bond had found a new master.

x x x x x x

By nightfall, Arthur was pulling a bloodied wrist away from his mouth, and Alucard was watching him approving, expectantly...and obediently. 


	18. Like

*Thanks, everyone, for all the reviews! And yes, this is THE Arthur. I'll take this up past the arrival of Walter and WW2, and end it with the imprisonment of Alucard. After that, well, I think the actual author of Hellsing does a perfectly good job of telling the story! Glad you're all enjoying so much, and once again, thanks to the people who've taken a few seconds to hit the review button and leave one! Sometimes, like the fish story in Unpredictable, I can take a requested prompt and weave a chapter around it, too. So don't hesitate to leave one! :)*

Like

Arthur wasn't entirely certain how to take this new responsibility. He'd spent most of his life trying to convince the vampire NOT to choose him, and quite successfully, too. And now, here he was, Master to the Monster despite uncles, a brother, and cousins that could have been chosen. He'd have happily handed Alucard over to aunt Bea, except that wasn't possible.

But he'd had to do something. He'd never seen the vampire so horribly distraught. He knew it had to have happened when Abraham passed, but this was his own first experience, as an adult, with someone in the throes of such awful grief. The vampire had stabilized substantially when Arthur took the position as his Master, but he was still so very lessened from what Arthur had known all his life.

He'd spent most of the last decade bound to Paul. John had lasted less than two months. Victor had been a disaster of less than half a decade. And before that, Abraham, for so many happy decades. And with Abraham, the vampire had been able to prepare for his passing.

Paul's sudden and unexpected death had truly wrenched the monster apart.

Arthur had never trusted Alucard, had always seen the constant manipulation in the beast's eyes. The vampire saw humans as a more amusing type of chess piece, and every member of the Hellsing family had its own position on the vampire's personal game board. It had always seemed to be so in-control, an icy gamesman with the world's best poker face. He'd never really believed at all that the vampire actually had an attachment to the family, having decided in his teens that the rough-and-tumble play and apparent affection he'd seen as a child had been nothing more than a vampire playing with its favorite toys.

And then he'd seen firsthand the absolute desolation left when Paul had died. The vampire might be the greatest actor in the world, but he was also a very prideful creature, and Arthur couldn't make himself believe that the vampire was acting the part of such a pitiful creature. In the two days that it had taken the family to arrive after Paul was struck down, it hadn't even eaten, much less slept, and there had been almost no sense left in those tragic red eyes.

No matter how he'd steeled himself against the beast, when Arthur set about the task of taking care of the mourning Hellsings, he'd felt the need to care for this lost beast, too. And seeing the vampire's reaction to the blood and care had been a shock. He'd almost expected annoyance at Arthur for ruining the vampire's "pity me" game, but the reaction seemed so genuine, so desperate.

And now, through the bond they shared, he could tell it had been exactly what it seemed. Beatrice had told him that the very close connection they shared at this time would fade in the next few hours. But for now, he could feel those odd emotions, clattering around in his own head.

He mourned for his uncle, he hurt for the rest of the family, and he could feel the almost-human emotions of a grief-stricken, vastly relieved, exhausted and confused and contented vampire as well.

He shifted the beast's weight in his lap to a more comfortable position, tucked the blanket about it a bit closer, and was rewarded with a sleepy blink of red eyes. Alucard buried his face into his Master's shoulder again, dropping back into a light doze, as Arthur sat with the Hellsings and listened to the lawyer speak.

Richard had arrived after the choice had been made. He had been told that his older brother was taking full control of Hellsing, and that any personal effects would be inherited by Paul's surviving family. He'd been encouraged to stay with the family, bribed with the idea that perhaps Paul had made a specific grant in his will for him, but Richard had been furious. He hadn't been at the estate in over a decade, and he hadn't even asked after Alucard at all. Arthur had been down in the dungeons with the monster at the time, forging their bond, and Richard hadn't even waited for him to come out.

Once he was told that his brother was not available and would not be for at least a few hours, he'd left. He hadn't even waited for an explanation, had yet to even remove his hat and coat, but had simply left, anger radiating from him.

Arthur and Alucard had come from the basements at last, and Arthur was both sad and relieved to have missed his little brother. He loved Richard, but that didn't mean he liked him.

A quick glance at the slumbering vampire in his lap. Like it or not, he could feel the awakening of the love he'd felt for the shaggy beast that played horse with him as a child, the patient tutor as he learned to ride his first pony, the monster that had grasped him so desperately as he fed the distraught beast the meal it so badly needed.

He might love his beast, but he wasn't sure he'd like him.

Attention back to the lawyer, Arthur listened carefully to the listings and descriptions of his new property and requirements. 


	19. Just Fine

*Arthur has NO idea what's going on; his view of Alucard is accurate to a point but entirely too two-dimensional. There's a LOT more to the vampire than he's ever realize...or bothered to find out. So here's Arthur's viewpoint, pre-Walter.*

Just Fine

The vampire was a monster. Evil, self-centered, one that found great enjoyment in inflicting pain and terror, and death when possible. Arthur had kept him on a short leash, knowing full well that if he gave that vampire an inch, he'd take the proverbial mile and then cover it in dead bodies.

If he gave the vampire any spare time on a hunt, he'd find bodies butchered instead of simply killed. Allowed the right to interact with any of the household staff on his own, he'd either frighten them or attempt to bite them. Given any affection that he didn't have to beg for, and he'd have become a complete pest, worse than the neediest spaniel Arthur had ever encountered. He'd been given a room in the basement by grandfather, after all, and now he attempted to claim the entire basement as "his."

Arthur was not going to fall for his blandishments or threats. He needed solid, secure rooms to study specimens in, and the vampire could just go hang. And be grateful that Arthur did not claim HIS rooms and force him to move.

At least the beast was slowly learning that THIS Master would not be so easy to manipulate. When Arthur had claimed the four large rooms as underground labs, the vampire's response had only been half-hearted, and he'd quickly resigned himself to having living humans in "his" territory. Equipment, tables, and cages were moved in with a minimum of interaction from the vampire, and Arthur forbid any of the employees from entering Alucard's room. Fair was fair.

Arthur's responsibility was to master and restrain the monster. Beatrice had been far too soft-hearted with it, as had Paul. Victor had the right idea, but had been foolish and inconsistent. Arthur would be consistent, firm, and fair, and the monster WOULD learn that his word was law and not to be questioned.

He remembered the havoc the vampire had occasionally caused when he had been visiting as a child. Employees frightened, furniture damaged, random items stolen. Abraham had been far too tolerant of such insubordination and sabotage, and Arthur would not make that same mistake. He would be consistent, firm, and make sure that the vampire ate, slept, and was forced to interact with him on a routine basis.

His household ran smoothly. The vampire caused an absolute minimum of problems. Unlike grandfather or his uncles, HE could have guests over and not worry about the vampire's activities causing distractions or driving off visitors. Nothing was stolen, missing, or damaged, nor was the vampire allowed to starve himself and suffer as he had under Victor.

So Beatrice could just shove off. He was doing fine. 


	20. Better than nothing

*This one is actually pre-Walter, I might swap them around in a day or two. But it's a little insight into how Arthur and Alucard interact. Yes, another sad one! But there ought to be plenty of humor with Walter around soon!*

Better Than Nothing

Arthur was rather proud of his new find. It was an unusual piece of furniture, he'd never seen anything quite like it, but it was perfect.

As wide as a love seat, it extended out much farther than a couch would, and then had an ottoman up against the end as well. He could stretch his legs out to their full, lanky length comfortably. A set of firm pillows made an excellent backrest, and a pair of large ones on either side turned it into a chair. The arms were low, made of a wide flat wood, and he'd rested a long, polished plank across them to make a desk.

It was simply the most comfortable position he'd ever been in to do paperwork. Glass of whiskey and cigar in easy reach, he lounged in his new furniture, and began to flip through notes and reports. He'd neglected his work for a few days due to social engagements and lack of interest, and he'd be catching up this evening. They'd had a boring few months with nothing new coming in for the vampire to do, and the paperwork involved little more than basic paperwork that just needed a signature for buying food, linens, and a part to repair a car. There was a single report in there about a suspected monster in Yorkshire, but he'd already heard the radio that evening reporting it to be a hoax, and the perpetrator in jail.

Relaxing, flipping through papers, signing as needed, he became aware of the presence of the vampire. Silent as it could be, it always gave itself away, making his skin crawl with the aura of, well, CREEPINESS it exuded in such great quantities. Often, when he ignored it, the vampire simply left, finding someone else to bother.  
x x x x x x

Alucard knew that Arthur knew he was there. He hadn't wanted to interupt, as his Master looked to be busy, and he was simply waiting for an acknowledgement, an invitation. He'd made his presence detectable, but was hesitant to intrude. He knew Arthur didn't like him, but since Winters had passed away and Beatrice rarely visited, he was LONELY. Vampires were not meant to be solitary. There were no children around, no one like the cook or Winters to provide companionship, no relatives dropping by at odd times. Even the stables had been shut down, now converted into a garage with a set of shiny automobiles. All he had left was Arthur. And while Arthur never actively turned him away when the vampire requested his company...he also never invited his company.

But it was better than nothing.

And tonight, he was simply too lonely to leave. Hesitant and slow, unwilling to be sent away because he angered his Master with his presence, but too haunted himself to be alone, he moved to stand beside the odd chair his Master had found. He wanted to ask if he could join him, but the words caught in his throat with the cold shoulder Arthur gave him. The man didn't even acknowledge his presence, with him standing right beside him.

Shoulders drooping in defeat, entirely miserable, the vampire turned to leave.

x x x x x x

Looming over him wasn't going to work. The vampire was doing his best to spook Arthur, and Arthur was having none of it. A very faint sigh, almost entirely inaudible, and from the corner of his eye he saw the vampire leave. Turning to watch the monster vanish through the wall, Arthur noticed a stain on his new couch. Blood? The bastard had taken time to damage his new furniture in retaliation for Arthur's lack of fright.

This was not to be tolerated. Angry now, he snapped at the vampire.

"Alucard." The monster froze in midstep, shoulders hunched.

"Come here."

x x x x x

Alucard didn't want to turn, didn't want his Master to know how badly this had affected him...but that was a command, not a request. And one did not ignore commands from Arthur, he had no patience with dallying and no hesitation to enforce his command, either. Cringing, face down, the vampire turned.

x x x x x

The beast...was crying? Arthur was utterly shocked, but there was no doubt that those red trails down its cheeks were tears. Alucard stood, slightly hunched over, arms wrapped tight around his body. "May I go now?" The words were forced, the voice clearly tight no matter how nonchalant the vampire tried to appear.

Arthur felt like an ass. He wasn't sure if that was what the vampire had intended with this charade, or if he was truly upset. He never could tell. Regardless, it clearly wanted attention.

"Come here." Milder now, softer, and the vampire edged towards him. Arthur pulled a few pillows away, making room for two bodies on his chair, and carefully swiveled his "desk" out of the way. Slowly, almost unbelievingly, the vampire joined him.

The next few hours were spent with a silky head pressed against his shoulder. It made it damnably difficult to write, but it was part of the "job" of being a vampire's master, so Arthur tolerated it, occasionally reaching up to idly pet the vampire.

x x x x x x

His master might not want him there, but at least he allowed it. It was better than nothing, much, much better than nothing. Pensive and sad, Alucard listened to the steady heartbeat and rush of air through the lungs, absorbed the heat that radiated from the living body, and wished with his whole being that it was Abraham next to him. 


	21. Dead End

*The title represents Abraham's bloodline...and the dead end it reached in Arthur...*

Dead End

Beatrice had responded to Alucard's letter, and taken a few days to come and visit. He rarely sent them, and he'd rambled in this latest one, very uncharacteristic of him. That, as much as the depressed tone, had brought her to the estate as quickly as she could arrange things.

"I don't think you understand him." Stirring her tea idly, Beatrice gazed into space, considering. "Much of what you've told me of his behavior...I think you misinterpret his actions." Her calm grey eyes focused on her nephew. "I do know that he's miserable. He's aware that you don't like him, don't want him around, and the suspicions...I suspect he's very hurt by them." Turning back to her cup of barely-touched tea, she thought about how best to phrase this. "Right now, he's simply saddened by your attitude. If it turns into anger and frustration, you could have a real problem on your hands."

Their discussion continued during the afternoon. Unfortunately, Beatrice had to admit that in many cases, Arthur had the vampire pegged. He DID understand what a conniving, underhanded, selfish beast the vampire could be. What he didn't understand was that the vampire truly did love his family, the level of affection he would show Arthur given the chance, if it was reciprocated.

He simply didn't like the vampire. Arthur himself was a friendly, gregarious soul, but with a deeply suspicious and distrustful attitude about vampires. Beatrice suspected that his grandfather Johnathan had filled his ears with stories about the Count and his manipulations, and the damage that had caused to his relationship with Alucard might well be permanent. Alucard WAS a monster, but he was also...Alucard. And it was hard to imagine a Hellsing that didn't care for the monster.

Arthur tried, he truly did. And that broke Beatrice's heart more than anything else. He'd been considering contacting her for advice, the vampire had simply done so first. But he knew what sort of creature Alucard was. He could tolerate the vampire, he'd provide for its physical needs, would allow the vampire to approach him, but he'd prefer the vampire to be gone entirely.

x x x x x

And there were no other candidates. Both of Paul's daughters had turned into shallow adults, caught up in gossip and maneuvering for power, neither one with the control needed to handle a vampire. They had children, far too small to even consider, still babes. Constance and Arthur Holmswood's daughter Josephine had made certain that the girls had a "proper" upbringing, and while they were perfectly suited to society, they were entirely unsuited to dealing with Alucard. Byron Holmswood had grown up with Alucard and, like his parents and unlike his sister Josephine, he likely had enough spirit to deal with the beast. But he was no blood relative, and the spell demanded it.

John Hellsing had never had children, at least not legitimate ones, not that they knew of. He'd been quite the womanizer, but when he had finally married, there had been no children.

Victor had gone on to marry and have children, but he was terrified of Alucard despite Beatrice's reassurance that the vampire would never actually have hurt him. He'd kept the children far from Hellsing, and Beatrice had met them, but they were a very ordinary family. Perfectly good children, but none had that extra spark in them. Intelligent, but not overly so. Brave, but not courageous. Stubborn, but lacking the strong will and sense of self needed to rule Alucard. And far, far too young to even consider.

Richard...Richard hadn't even seen the vampire for more than a decade. He'd avoided family reunions since he'd first been sent off to school. Before then, Alucard had decided that, Abraham's blood or not, he loathed Arthur's little brother, and would have nothing to do with him. Even if he'd matured into a responsible and solid man, which Beatrice doubted, he'd be almost a complete stranger to the vampire.

And that was it. Beatrice, John, Paul, and Rachel; Abraham had four children, each with their own children, an extensive family tree. And they were all the wrong sex or a failure as Alucard's master.

x x x x x

Beatrice's son Victor had failed with Alucard, and his children were not acceptable. Her other children had been lost to the Spanish Flu and other ailments as mere infants. One daughter had survived to twelve, and then died from whooping cough.

Her brother John had no children.

Paul had children with Josephine Holmswood, and the girls and their offspring were not remotely suitable.

Her sister Rachel had married Robert Harker, and their son Arthur was failing with Alucard. Richard wasn't even a possibility.

And she would not be permitted to take the Mastery, although damn the Lords; if she saw that Alucard was preparing to break the bond, she'd take it, and then deal with the fallout afterwards. Alucard was family, and she wasn't about to let petty prejudices by a bunch of cowardly nobles hurt him like that.

x x x x x x

If Arthur could only see for himself how Alucard felt about him, Beatrice was certain that his feelings towards the creature would change. What he interpreted as stalking was more likely timidity, a trait he did not understand that the vampire could possess. Before the vampire woke up, Beatrice spent time with Arthur, going over Abraham's notes on the vampire's behavior early in the bond. She was relieved to note that Arthur was able to draw parallels with the vampire's current behavior, behavior no one had seen in decades.

And he found the reference to the blood exchange, too. Beatrice encouraged him to participate in this with the vampire; as Abraham had done so a few times after they'd bonded, she was sure that he could do so with Alucard as well. Perhaps the insight into the vampire's mind, temporary though it was, was all that he needed to change his view of Alucard.

x x x x x

Alucard woke, immediately sensing Beatrice and coming directly to her. He was so happy to see her, so very involved in her presence, that she simply told Arthur to wait. The vampire looked tired, drawn, but he'd been fed. Arthur had told her that he'd made a point of making certain the vampire ate when he went "off his feed." Beatrice suspected that instead of soothing, he'd ordered the monster to eat; it got sustenance into Alucard, certainly, but simply increased the damage inside him.

Tonight, the vampire practically inhaled his dinner, seeming to finally enjoy it. Arthur's surprised and speculative look worried Beatrice; she wondered what suspicions were now going through his mind, if he thought that Alucard's mopiness and lack of appetite was a charade to try and trigger pity. Manipulative as the monster was, Beatrice knew that he would not do so with his food. Perhaps to get more food, yes; but not eating out of spite was so out-of-character for him, it amazed her that Arthur would even consider that to be false emotions.

They definitely needed to perform the blood exchange. There was far too much misunderstanding between them; Alucard didn't understand why he upset his master, and Arthur didn't understand how to interpret Alucard any better than Alucard understood him. But that could wait until tomorrow. For now, she was going to enjoy the rare chance to spend time with "her" monster.

(yes, there is a chapter on the blood exchange coming up, but I'm cutting this one a little short and stopping here, or it won't go up tonight!) 


	22. Lesson

*Beatrice gives Arthur a lesson on Monster-Keeping. Yes, he had the book...but there were some really basic things that it was assumed the average Hellsing would know, or even the average person. Arthur is a bit thick-headed emotionally. And it shows...*

Lesson

Alucard huddled in the very back of his room, pressed into the corner. He knew he was panting, but he didn't care.

He was terrified.

Arthur and Beatrice-BEATRICE!-had all but ordered him to create a blood link between him and his Master. He couldn't, he couldn't, he wouldn't! No! No! No!

Sobbing and rocking, hidden in the most secluded portion of his room, he nearly wailed his fright and loneliness. The need to hide kept him quiet, fear silencing his voice, and he simply panted, sobbing and rocking alone in the dark.

x x x x x

"That...was not expected." Worried gray eyes looked at the wall where the hissing vampire had vanished a few moments earlier. Beatrice and Arthur both had thought it more of a "done deal" that Alucard would willing create that blood bond. Neither had expected the vampire to panic.

He'd frozen when Arthur ordered him to form the bond, then pulled back, shaking his head, eyes wide and frightened as Arthur reached for his hand. Arthur had snapped at him, which bothered Beatrice; the vampire needed soothing, not scolding. Alucard had stumbled backwards, wide red eyes on his Master, hissing and snarling, then turned without warning and fled through the wall.

x x x x x

Arthur had been entirely prepared to order the vampire back, but Beatrice stopped him.

"Arthur...hurting him further won't make him more willing. He's not resisting you out of contrariness." Upset that Arthur still seemed angry, entirely unaware of what had just transpired, she forced herself to calm and rather than yelling at Arthur for his foolishness, she explained. "He's TERRIFIED. Frightened out of his wits. He's not angry, not insubordinate, just very badly frightened."

At Arthur's disbelieving look, she continued, pulling him to the couch to explain. "Arthur, you have got to learn to read his body language. When he becomes very still, frozen, look at his eyes. If they aren't glowing, then he's not angry. He's frightened." She sighed; she'd only seen the vampire like this a handful of times in the past, and never at a simple command. Before, a situation had clearly brought a painful memory to the front, usually when the vampire was drowsy and half-awake, and it took him a few moments to remember where he was and what was happening. She'd also seen him bolt awake from a nightmare, and the hissing, the crouching, the retreat...he'd done the same then.

"You might be able to coax him into forming this bond, but he's terribly frightened. Wait at least a few days, soothe him, treat him with a bit of fresh blood, bribe him with a new book, restore his trust in you. Then ASK him, don't demand it, don't order it. ASK him to CONSIDER it." Recalling what she had seen, she continued. "I don't expect it will work, not if he was this violently opposed, but that's what you'll need to do to lure him into it." Gently, she continued. "He gets very, very timid and withdrawn when stressed or unhappy. His normal response would be to seek out his Master for comfort, as Paul and Abraham experienced on multiple occasions. But as you are the one that frightened him, I'll need to be the one to interact with him; either letting him find me or finding him myself."

Arthur was clearly working through what she'd said. The vampire? Frightened of HIM? He'd been frightened when Abraham bound him, the journals had mentioned that timidity time and again. With a pang of guilt, he remembered the times the vampire had come to him and he'd ignored it. Had the vampire been upset and needing him, not simply tormenting him? Clearing his throat, he asked Beatrice something he should have asked a long time ago.

"How do I tell when he's simply bothering me, and when he's upset."

Beatrice just blinked at her nephew. It was so...obvious. But then, Arthur had never been a parent, had no brothers or sisters near his age...he might never have dealt with someone this upset before. It wasn't knowing the vampire's personality that was needed here, it was simple empathy for another person. She sighed; there was time, Alucard wouldn't settle for awhile, and she might as well use this time to help Arthur be a better master.

"He's quiet. Timid. Rather than walking in and going to the bookshelves, leaning on the desk, looking out the window...he'll lurk. Whatever upsets him usually makes him dread making his Master mad, illogical as that may seem. He'll be absolutely silent, usually just waiting for you to notice him. If there are shadows, he'll be in them, and he won't sit down anywhere. He'll be too nervous, a chair is too confining." Thinking back on what she'd seen, what the others had mentioned, she continued. "Generally, Paul said that he'd notice the vampire and call him over. Alucard won't tell you what happened to upset him, not unless it's something to do with someone in the household. He had a breakdown, for example, when Paul was so sick as a child. He told me as well what was wrong with his bonding to Victor. But if it's a memory, a dream, something he deems private, he won't say a word. If he's going to speak about what upset him, he has to do it at his own pace. Once he feels safe, secure, he'll open up."

Beatrice looked at the back of the large chair? couch? Arthur had in his office. There was no blanket on it, not one anywhere in the office, really. "There was a reason that blankets were scattered about this office. Keep them within reach; one of the best ways to soothe Alucard when he's having a...breakdown...is to wrap him up. Wrap him up so he can't see anything but you, so that no one can see him. Good, thick, dark blankets. The more they smell of you, the better, don't use freshly laundered ones unless you have to. Keep him sheltered, but don't make him feel trapped, that just makes it worse."

She looked at her nephew very solemnly. "Considering how timid he's been around you since I arrived, how stressed and nervous, I don't think he's ever come in here to "bother" you. If he was, you'd know. He grins. He moves things out of reach. He waits until you are concentrating on something important, then breaks your concentration with a random remark about something minor and totally unrelated. He teases. Generally, he's a total and blatant pain in the ass." Here, she grinned. "The solution to that is just as simple; give him some attention. If you are busy, make him help out. Have a conversation with him. He gets bored; make sure there are new books around, newspapers, flip on the radio, take him to the theater or a cinema. Interact with him. Tease him back. Teach him a game. Give him a taste of your blood; that tends to get him flopped out somewhere and purring for an hour or more."

Remembering, she frowned a bit. "Something else I noticed earlier. You're forcing him to eat." Gray eyes bore into her nephew's. "If you have to force him to eat, something is very, very wrong. He likes eating. He rarely gorges on it, but he doesn't miss a meal. Ever. When you notice him going off his food, don't "fix" it by making him eat. He doesn't talk when he's upset, this may be the only indication you get that something is very wrong. Find out what is wrong, fix it, and he'll begin eating on his own again." Placing her hand on her nephew's, she closed her eyes, realizing something else. "Then again...this might have been his only way of getting attention from you."

Arthur was...horrified. That was really the only word for it. The vampire had been coming to him for help, and he'd been turning him away most times, or reacting in anger to what was a frightened person in the first place. He'd never asked what was wrong, ever. He'd assumed that the vampire was not eating just to make him take time from his busy day to feed the creature, that it lurked in the office just to try and frighten him, that its quiet was due to being busy with its unholy plots and manipulations, not uncertainty. Not fear. As he and Aunt Beatrice talked more, he began to see a much different image of the vampire than he'd held before.

He couldn't make himself like the beast...but pity was definitely replacing annoyance, and guilt replacing superiority.

After a few shots of scotch, Beatrice matching him drink for drink, he turned his own sad eyes up at this family matriarch and asked simply, "What do I do now?"

x x x x x x x x

Alucard had ceased sobbing, ceased shaking, and was simply staring at the wall in a sort of dazed despondancy. He'd depended on Beatrice, and she'd wanted to take away what little pride he had left. He didn't want anyone to know how shattered, how hollow, he felt. And he truly, truly did not want to know how Arthur felt. He suspected, but he didn't know. He could hope, in his darkest moods he could convince himself that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong.

If they were linked, then he would know. There would be no hiding the truth from himself, no hope, however false he knew it to be.

His master, the center of his life, didn't care for him in the least. Arthur found him to be a nuisance, a bother, a pest. It was clear that his Master thought him to be dishonest, untrustworthy, and that Alucard was simply a burden. He'd been frantic for months, with so very few hunts, no way to prove his worth, knowing that what little value he had was quickly eroding when the prey was nothing more than a single ghoul and his presence served no purpose.

He knew this. But he did not want to KNOW. It would remove the last reason he had to keep Arthur as his master. He hoped that Beatrice would accept the bond, but she'd refused before and the reasons had not changed. He would be alone, insane. He was alone now, but at least he had his mind, melancholy and morose and depressed as it was. Eyes closed, he pressed his head into the cold stone corner, wishing he could simply sleep, and wake up to a new master, a life where he was wanted and valued again.

Time passed. He was vaguely aware of noises around him, but too far sunk into his own depressed funk to make any sense of it.

And then, he was touched, moved. Beginning to flail in panic, he thrashed against the rough cloth trying to smother him, panting in fear, and took in breaths filled with the scent of Beatrice...and Arthur? Pausing, more aware...yes. Two heartbeats. They had both come down here, but why? He heard voices, but his exhausted, benumbed mind made no sense of them. He tried to move, to squirm away from them, to retreat back to his sheltering cold and dark and silent quarters, but...Arthur? Soothing him? Speaking to him?

x x x x x

The shock held him still as his Master carried him from his rooms, speaking quietly and reassuringly to him as they traveled upstairs. Alcohol, he could smell it on Arthur's breath. His master wasn't drunk, but he'd definitely been drinking, and it made Alucard nervous. Drunk men could be cruel...but Arthur was not. Not drunk. Cold, but not cruel.

A soft surface under him, and as he sank into it, it released a strong odor of Arthur. His Master's bed? And he felt the rough, gentle hand ruffling his head.

"Sorry to upset you. I don't know why, although Bea and I tried to figure it out. For now, don't worry. I've had enough alcohol, I'm going to sleep now, and I thought you'd feel better here with me." Arthur's sleepy, slightly tipsy explanation soothed the vampire. His master had come all the way to his rooms to fetch him, then carried him back up those stairs? Arthur had never made any sort of effort to do more than feed him in the past...

"Oh, and I almost forgot. That would have been a rotten thing." Slurred with sleepiness but still clear and confident, the voice paused, and Alucard could hear a muffled clink. The blanket was pulled from his face, and he blinked warily up at his master, uncertain of what was occuring or why. A small bottle appeared in front of him, and he realized that Arthur was offering it to him. Pulling a hand free from the covers, he carefully took the bottle, trying hard not to show the suspicion and wariness he felt.

It was warm.

Was it...? The top came off quickly, and the odor of fresh, warm Hellsing blood hit him like a punch to the gut. Alucard found himself whimpering as he drank, and he could feel the emotions in his treat; Guilt. That would be Arthur's blood. Concern, blended from them both. From Beatrice's blood, he also got...Love. He finished, seeing Arthur staring at him, sleepy and satisfied as he blinked back at his Master.

"G'night, Alucard. It's only a few hours to dawn...stay here as long as you please." A clumsy hand reached up to gently rub his cheek, and the vampire blinked again as his Master fell asleep. Wrapping the blanket more closely about himself, Alucard eased closer to Arthur, finally curling against his master.

Invited to sleep in the bed...not a grudging acceptance that he'd snuck into it at some point in the night. Able to stay as long as he wished, not chased off as soon as Arthur was fully awake.

At some point, he fell asleep while purring. When dawn came, and he woke from his light doze, he debated returning to his coffin...but no. Arthur would let him stay. Instead, Alucard burrowed into the blankets, shoving his head up under Arthur's chin, wriggling and squirming until, with a satisfied sigh that he was as close as he could be, he fell back asleep with the sky turning pink outside the heavily-curtained window.

x x x x x x

Arthur woke to a lump in his bed, silky hair tickling his nose. At first, his sleep-fogged mind struggled to remember what lady he'd brought home the night before, but quickly brought the events of the previous night to the fore. He pulled back, lifting the covers to peer at the vampire. Alucard had stayed past dawn?

And...the vampire was smiling. Arthur realized that he'd seen the vampire grin when chasing other monsters, when terrifying the soldiers and other humans...but he hadn't seen this soft smile gracing the vampire's face since he was a child.

Part of him wondered if the vampire had deliberately smiled as he fell asleep in an attempt to use guilt or memories to manipulate his Master, if he'd chosen to stay in the bed as part of a continued power-struggle or for a more pleasant reason. He might understand the vampire much better, but it would be a long time, if ever, before he could truly trust the creature.

For now, though, he'd do his best. He pulled the covers back over Alucard, making sure that no stray beams would wake him, then moved to the curtains to make certain they were tightly closed and as light-proof as possible.

Suspicions or not, he couldn't help but look back at the bed and the peacefully sleeping vampire and smile slightly. Things were looking better.

(now, as the Walter chapter comes after this one, it's a safe bet that things didn't magically become perfect; but they definitely improved!) 


	23. Vampire

*Things aren't all peachy with Arthur...but Alucard isn't actually unhappy, more frustrated! Arthur just doesn't get it in some basic ways. For example, had Alucard left a bunch of blankets on the office floor when ARTHUR was in charge, the immediate assumption would be that the vampire had done it to piss him off! Thanks again to all the reviewers, I'm going to try and keep all three storylines updated for the Hellsing stories!*

Vampire

Things were...better...with Arthur. So much better than they had been, except for the issue of trust.

Abraham had known that, given the opportunity, Alucard would seduce and/or bite humans. He trusted Alucard to be a monster...but also trusted that if he thought it was IMPORTANT, Alucard would cooperate and not look for loopholes. He'd simply accepted that Alucard was not a human and would not act like a human, and put up the appropriate safeguards.

Arthur...didn't seem to understand that Alucard's behavior was not intended to anger him, not always. Alucard was a vampire, and he would act like one. Not out of pettiness (well, not always) and not because he enjoyed making Arthur angry (some of the time) but because he was a vampire.

Abraham had realized this from the beginning of their relationship, as he experienced the perils of Alucard exploring his new home. Paul, even Victor, had accepted how very different Alucard was and that his behavior reflected some innate, non-human traits. Arthur...Arthur seemed to see Alucard as simply a twisted and evil human, one that loved him, loved his family, but was intrinsically human. And he based his interpretations of Alucard's actions on that misguided notion. Any odd behaviors were ascribed to him being evil, to him attempting to anger Arthur, or to his ever-present touch of insanity.

Arthur had a hard time recognizing that some of the things Alucard did...were simply him being a vampire. He had a fundamental difficulty in recognizing vampiric characteristics; if they didn't help identify a vampire they were hunting, and weren't visible in Alucard's prey, then he didn't consider them a vampiric trait.

Alucard hadn't been stalking the staff to annoy him at all.

He'd been stalking the staff because it spooked them and because it satisfied a predatory urge in him.

He hadn't hurt anyone, nor terrified anyone. But concealing himself in the shadows and barely revealing himself to a human, watching that human startle and jump in fear, then walk off quickly with many glances over their shoulder...it was satisfying. Were he not bound, he'd torment the human, playing with his food much as a cat would, for an hour or more. Sometimes, for someone who presented more entertainment or challenge, he'd drag it out for a week. And then he'd eat his prey, the blood nicely flavored by fear and panic, sustained over a prolonged period of time.

He was a vampire, it was what vampires did. Prey was only killed quickly when it was an absolute necessity. And while he couldn't hurt the staff members, he could indulge his nature a bit and stalk them, instilling a bit of fear into their daily lives. He'd be hard-pressed to fight that instinct, and Abraham and the staff had always understood that it was simply part of the price of living with a vampire.

Arthur didn't.

And while Alucard might normally stay downstairs for days at a time, it was BY CHOICE. Not because he was being punished.

And so he was slouched in his chair, red eyes glaring at the door, growling faintly. And stuck in his rooms for another full night, one of three.

With an aggrieved snort, the vampire finally moved slightly, then resumed his statue-like glare.

Arthur really needed to learn more about vampires. Just because Alucard was living with humans did not mean that he would suddenly cease to be a vampire! 


	24. Changeling

*Time for Walter to arrive. :-) I'd never seen this explanation, and thought it might be interesting. A wyvern, btw, is essentially a small and weak dragon. I figure it would be about the size of a human, and an appropriate monster for this story. It's just an animal, nothing intelligent about it, but a novel creature to include!*

Changeling

The vampire appeared out of the dark, red eyes first, then corpse pale face. His face was unreadable, unmoving, as he walked towards his master.

Arthur frowned; what was the monster up to? They were supposed to be out hunting some sort of mysterious livestock-killing beast that seemed to have developed a taste for small children. At the last farm attacked, a toddler had been snatched from the barn and killed along with the small flock of sheep. That had brought Hellsing in, and Alucard had left the troops behind to catch and destroy whatever monster had been preying on these farmers.  
There was no blood on the vampire, it didn't seem likely that he'd killed whatever they were after.

Alucard paused, several yards from the other men, and tipped his head to the side, garnet eyes fixed on his Master, waiting. Taking the silent cue, Arthur left the soldiers behind.

"What is it?" Clear and to the point, he waited for Alucard's answer. Arthur had learned early on not to hazard any sort of guess, for that simply encouraged the monster to turn it into a game of twenty questions. The beast was odd like that, and tonight, Arthur was not in any mood for games.

"There is a complication. I think you should come and see." Soft, and somewhat puzzled, the vampire's suggestion was accompanied by a graceful gesture behind him towards where the farmhouse and outbuildings were located.

"Should I take any of the men? Or is this just something I specifically should see?" While Arthur and the vampire had formed a tight bond, Arthur took to heart Abraham's warnings about never fully trusting the beast. If Arthur did something foolish and lost the vampire's respect, Alucard would break the bond. Victor was cold proof of that, although he'd apparently somehow retained at least a minimal control and survived the vampire's rebellion. Arthur worried constantly that the vampire had some sort of plot going against him, though he refused to let any indication of his concern show on his face. Alucard would simply take note of it as another tool to use against him.

"Just you, I think. It's nothing dangerous to you, or at least nothing that might be able to harm you with me there. But it's odd. I'm not certain how to react." The vampire blinked his large red eyes at his Master, clearly waiting for Arthur to lead.

And so he did, back to the farmhouse. The family had been evacuated earlier in the day, their valuable livestock removed and replaced with cheap animals; old, ill, or lame, they'd still tempt the killer. Arthur had taken no more than a few steps before Alucard paused, then moved swiftly towards the men. Before anyone could react, the vampire had swooped down, still graceful, and taken one of their lanterns. Now with a source of illumination, he followed his Master to the farmhouse, lighting the path ahead of Arthur.

The farm was frighteningly quiet, small gray lumps and larger silent bulks visible in the pen by the barn. It appeared their hunter had indeed paid a visit tonight. Outside the door to the house, the remains of the hunter were scattered. It looked somewhat like a snake, parts of it seemed to be dragonlike, some of it looked like worm, and most of it looked like a tattered, bloody mess. How the vampire had killed it without becoming a bloody mess, Arthur had no idea.

"Wyvern." The vampire offered the explanation simply. Arthur looked again at him, then at the shredded remains of the lizard, and Alucard quickly understood what the problem was.

"I did kill it, but I cleaned up before coming to find you." Unusual, but Arthur had seen the vampire simply absorb blood before, though he rarely bothered. Lantern high, Alucard then stepped into the house, opening the door for his master and holding the lantern high. They were in the kitchen, simple, plain, and neat. The bloody mess outside had stopped at the door, and the kitchen looked exactly as it had. In the corner was a trapdoor, now pulled open and lying flat on the ground, the opening a mysterious and forbidding black rectangle. Without hesitation, the vampire walked to the hole and began descending the hidden stairs.

More and more suspicious -why had the vampire taken him so far from the sight of his men?- Arthur hesitantly followed the monster down. He wasn't sure what to expect down in the basement.

But what he found was not what he expected. Curled up in the corner, filthy, underfed, and defiant, was a boy. Barely past toddler, with no shirt and only tattered pants to wear in the chilly, dark room, he glared up at them. The light made him squint and caused his eyes to tear, but the angry and suspicious look was unmistakeable.

The lad must be freezing; while the room was merely uncomfortably cool to Arthur, the child had no meat on his bones to keep him warm, no fat at all, and barely any clothes, and God only knew how long he had been trapped here. There was no way such a small boy could have lifted that heavy door on his own. Arthur quickly removed his warm coat and stooped to wrap it around the child. As he did so, he caught sight of a bowl, half-full of water, and a platter that might once have held food but was now completely empty. An unpleasant whiff told him that somewhere in the room was the "privy" for this poor child.

"Child neglect." The boy still hadn't said anything, eyes only opening slightly wider when Arthur wrapped the coat about him, and remaining a tense and unmoving lump when Arthur picked him up. "We'll let the authorities know." A pause, then a slightly grudging, "Thank you for bringing me to him. If you had not, I cannot believe his ending would have been happy at all."

The monster's red eyes bore into his own. "Master...he's not human."

Arthur froze, looking down in astonishment at the child's face. Was his vampire attempting to kill him, having him pick up another monster? He almost expected the mouth to open, showing sharp teeth and going for his throat, but all that happened was a distrustful, defiant look from the filthy and starved child. Arthur looked back at his vampire, suspicion clear in his eyes. "What is he?"

x x x x x

Alucard wilted a bit. He'd not tested Arthur as he had the others, having sensed early on that the man, much as he would show affection to the vampire, simply didn't trust him. Not in the slightest. Arthur, rather than being reassured by his compliance and lack of aggression, had decided the vampire must simply be being more devious with him. Try as he might, Alucard had never managed to win the man's trust, and each year, his Master became more and more cool with him, less and less trusting. Alucard had found that the only time the physical contact he received was not grudging was when he crept onto the bed late at night, but as soon as Arthur woke, he was ordered out.

And now this. He really wasn't placing his Master in any sort of harm, the child wasn't a monster, but not a human. And Alucard couldn't leave a child in this situation; normally, he wouldn't have cared. But there hadn't been a Hellsing child in the mansion since before Arthur, and he was lonely. And this child was a novelty, something very different for him.

"It's a changeling, Master. I suspect that their own child was stolen by the Sidhe, replaced with one of the Sidhe's newborns." A pensive look at the child. "It happens. Normally, neither the changeling nor the parents know, and the child lives out his life as a human would. I don't know if these parents knew he was a changeling, but I don't think they deserve to keep him. And he's ...different ...from other changelings." Normally, Alucard would have clammed up at this point, forcing his Masters to pry additional information out of him, gloating at the attention.

But not with Arthur. They had enough problems already. Had there been another Hellsing candidate, Alucard would have tried to break the bonds. But the fire was gone in the latest generation; none of them would have stood up to him. And he'd had so little contact with them, Arthur not inviting them over, keeping Alucard hidden away. And he wanted this child at Hellsing. "I can tell he's a changeling, I usually can. But he doesn't, quite, move like a human. He's faster. Much faster. And stronger, too, even starved and neglected as he has been." Arthur was looking at the child in a combination of disgust and curiousity. "He's simply a child, near enough to human that neither he nor his adopted family would ever had known otherwise. He might have gone on to be a star athlete, but otherwise, as far as I can tell, he's simply human."

Alucard hadn't missed the fact that the child was also a predator; he'd caught that from him immediately. Then again, many of the Hellsings had been predators themselves, not prey. He didn't consider it a dangerous thing, but knew that if he provided Arthur with that bit of insight, the paranoid man might simply have him kill the child out-of-hand. Watching Arthur hesitate, Alucard continued. "If we take him, the family will never report him missing. And he is suited to Hellsing. If he is as capable as I think he will be, he'll be a far better monster hunter than the fully human troops." And, while Arthur might not believe it, he might, and it was true, and it might be what was needed to sway him. "And...I'm lonely. It would be nice to have a child around." His sad and pensive eyes on the child, he missed the startled and slightly guilty look that crossed Arthur's face.

x x x x x

It would be weeks before the child spoke and Walter told them his name. But Alucard wasn't worried about the silence. For now, they rode in the back of the warm car, Arthur's coat wrapped about the child, the child sleeping in Alucard's lap. Fed with food from the kitchen, warm and safe and full for the first time in who knew how long, the child had fallen asleep. The boy's body heat caused the scent of his Master to rise off the coat, filling Alucard's nose and soothing him, and the warm body nestled trustingly against his cool chest was delightful. With a soft purr, Alucard's head dropped, his cheek rubbing against the filthy mop of hair on the child's head. Had his eyes been open, he would have seen the speculative, somewhat surprised, and definitely pleased look on Arthur's face. 


	25. Suspicion

*This chapter only exists because I wanted to update the story, so it's not as complete as I'd like and seems fairly shallow to me. I'm not entirely sure how a neglected child acts as it recovers; I might be entirely off-base. If that's the case, well, this IS a changeling. ;-) Thanks again for all the reviews!L*

Suspicion

Walter didn't trust anyone, even with his name. It wasn't yet decided if he'd never learned to speak, or simply refused to. For now, he was simply "the boy", although Arthur was starting the wheels rolling to take the boy in as a foster child. He knew, he kept telling himself, that this wasn't a human child, only a changeling. But the boy acted human, looked human, and was so very pitifully neglected, that Arthur rarely remembered that he was "other." And his heart went out to the scrawny, wary, defensive little boy.

It was difficult, the child's lack of trust very obvious. He'd accepted his bedroom with a suspicious look, and tolerated his much-needed bath by one of the maids with a sort of stoic tolerance suited to a much older prisoner. He'd eat any food put in front of him, almost to the point of sickness, keeping a wary eye on each of the others at the table. Arthur had quickly decided not to worry too much about how to use silverware, instead focusing on keeping the child from eating so quickly that he choked, and encouraging him to chew when eating his food. He also quietly ignored the food being tucked into the folds of the boy's clothes when the child thought Arthur wasn't looking.

The first night, he'd been fed, bathed, fed again, and then tucked into a bed in his "own" room. Morning had found him missing, instead hiding in the closet, curled up on the wooden floor with a blanket. Arthur worried about this, but after talking with maids and such that were parents themselves, he realized that the child had probably spent most of his short life in a cold, dark cellar and wasn't ready for such change. The brightly-lit, colorful, large room and soft bed with blankets had been too different, and the child had sought out somewhere more familiar. The dark closet, more enclosed, had been more familiar and less threatening, and Arthur realized just how much work would be ahead of him to take that deprived child and help him recover to a more normal life.

x x x x x x

The boy trusted the vampire only slightly more than the other residents of Hellsing. Once Alucard had realized that the heartbeat he'd detected belonged to a child, he'd cleaned the blood off himself and somehow kept from panicking the poor boy. Two things had helped the vampire interact with the boy at their first meeting. First, the boy was a born fighter. He should have been frightened, but instead, he'd prepared to defend himself, tiny and fierce. The second was Alucard's own past.

Alucard had never told Arthur any of this, but the condition the boy was in had brought back unpleasant memories of his own youth and imprisonment, though he'd been older at the time. And it had made it easier, too, to know how to approach the boy and soothe him, plus a little mental touch to calm the changeling. The silence and graceful, slow movements of the vampire also soothed the child, despite the sudden presence of an unknown person in his very limited life.

x x x x x x

The child was removed from the closet, and fed, and then Arthur spent the day trying to watch the child while sending employees to locate potential nurses, and then interviewing them. The silent child watched him carefully, ostensibly looking out the window, fascinated by the great expanse of greenery, but entirely aware of each movement Arthur made. The toys Arthur had found were ignored, although the sharp eyes inspected every part of them, then cataloged the entire room, looking for threats and learning about everything that he could, so very new to the boy. The face remained stoic and unchanging, only the quick-moving eyes revealing his interest.

Alucard joined them in the late afternoon, and while the child treated him with slightly less suspicion, it was clear that the abused and neglected child would not be trusting anyone any time soon. Crouched down, meeting his eyes, Alucard said nothing, but Arthur was shocked to see him...melt. Within moments, the tall, slender monster was much reduced.

He knew that the vampire had other forms, but the tiny black-haired girl-child was one he'd never seen.

And it was apparently a form that the boy didn't find threatening, allowing the vampire to lead him out of the room and down to the kitchens for a meal.

x x x x x x

The two were nearly inseparable immediately. Alucard had shown the boy how to open the entrance to the dungeons, and how to find his rooms down there. The cold, dark, enclosed space was clearly more familiar, less threatening, more comfortable for the boy than his own bright and warm rooms.

Blankets disappeared from Arthur's bed, and Arthur wasn't surprised to find that Alucard had them on his own bed downstairs to keep the child warm as he stayed in the cellars. The boy was more nocturnal than expected, too, most likely due to his continued acquaintance with the monster. He'd begun to sleep downstairs on Alucard's bed, falling asleep late at night, then waking in the late morning or early afternoon and going to the kitchen for a meal.

He was a fiercely independent, wary child.

x x x x x

A permanent nursemaid had been found for the child, one that even Alucard approved of. The day that she was to start, the boy was nowhere to be found. After less than a week at the estate, he'd already learned to hide, and hide well, down in the basements where he felt more secure and at-home. So when he wasn't findable, Arthur decided to wake his vampire, and have Alucard find the child.

The coffin lid was slightly ajar, very unusual for the vampire, and Arthur opened the coffin cautiously. He expected to see Alucard stretched across the bottom, his long and lanky form filling the casket. Instead, the tiny female vampire was rolled onto her side, pressed against the side of the coffin. The bulk of the coffin was now filled with warm down blankets and a puffy white pillow.

And a sleeping child.

x x x x x

Arthur's first emotion was horror, until he saw the rise and fall of the child's chest. Then, he became aware of the peaceful, serene look on Alucard's face, of the arm draped protectively over the child.

The nursemaid would have to wait.

He left the lid ajar, and the two of them to continue their peaceful sleep. 


	26. Unnerving

*So, is he staying as a little girl just to screw with Arthur, or is there a more innocuous reason? Who knows?*

Unnerving

It was unnerving, to see the vampire in the form of a harmless seeming little girl. Arthur couldn't help but wonder what the vampire was up to. Yes, it worked wonders with the little child they'd taken in, but even when the boy was sound asleep, the vampire stayed in the form of the girl.

It was simply unnerving to see her glide across the hall and through a wall, heading downstairs from the kitchen, blood pack in her hand.

But when Walter was awake, Arthur could understand. The wary, suspicious child would relax more around a fellow child, even knowing that the tall, black-haired, red-eyed monster was one and the same. Tonight, the two of them were sitting on the settee. Alucard had turned it to face the window, and they were comfortably sitting on it, silently watching the moonlight playing across the grounds outside. The vampire didn't seem to feel the need to speak to the lad, simply offering and enjoying the companionship.

Yes, Arthur could understand the small, nonthreatening choice of form for the vampire when dealing with Walter.

But it was altogether disturbing to wake up and find the tiny female vampire in his bed. 


	27. Pillars

*Just wanted a quick story, this fit the bill!*

Pillars

Alucard shifted a bit, getting slightly more comfortable, red eyes blinking slowly in a drowsy, contented way.

Arthur was on one side, and while in his small female form, Alucard was able to press up against his side quite comfortably. His Master showed no sign of chasing him away any time soon, and in fact was so distracted by his work that Arthur would idly pet the vampire, not even noticing he was doing so. The attention, even so minor and unintentional, eased the emotional ache and pain that had driven the vampire out of his coffin and to the office. As long as the vampire remained still and quiet, the attention was likely to continue.

On the other side was the reason that he'd gone beyond accepting into contentment. A hot, vibrant lump pressed against him, much as he pressed against Arthur. Walter was coloring in a coloring book, a huge step forward for the child, and quietly and happily humming to himself. The child was happy, relaxing, and seated as close to Alucard as he could be.

Walter was no Master, but the love and ned he exhibited warmed the vampire's cold heart as the lackadaisical almost-affection of Arthur could not. Between the two of them, he was content. This was acceptable, satisfactory, and he drowsed happily between the two pillars of his life. 


	28. Wanted

*Yeah, Arthur's a cold fish... blame the Harker blood! ;) *

Wanted

Arthur was gone, and Alucard was wandering. He didn't miss Arthur as much as he had any of his other masters during their short trips away. While he still loved his Master, Arthur's continued indifference and veiled dislike had chipped away at both his self-confidence and his heart. He was uncomfortable that his Master was not within easy reach, that he wasn't able to protect his Master with an immediate response, but that was because it was his Master, not specifically that it was Arthur. It was disheartening to realize that he no longer cared much what happened to Arthur.

He'd spent so long loving his masters, that having one that was so cold...well, it was a hard habit to break. Any of the others would have realized (even Victor!) that their absence would upset him, and have arranged for some sort of sitter or caretaker. Beatrice would have come to visit with no hesitation. Arthur simply didn't care, as long as Alucard seemed "okay" and superficially intact, the man didn't look any deeper.

Sighing, the vampire wandered down the dusty halls, lit with afternoon sunlight, in search of the single person in his life that would be glad to see him.

Used to his presence during lessons, the tutor simply ignored the tall, gloomy monster and continued to work with Walter on his alphabet.

Walter spared a moment to beam a smile at the vampire, and Alucard could feel his heart lifting out of his boots at the pure pleasure the boy took in his company. 


	29. Kobolds

*Ooooh, yeah. Short two or three paragraphs on where they came from, and it turns into a monster chapter. Bah. Thank you again for everyone who's taken a few seconds to hit the "review" button, especially on the older chapters in the other stories. It's good to know they're still being read!*

"They aren't evil."

"What?" Arthur's suspicious glare pinned the vampire in place as they stood on the rocky shelf outside the mine.

"Kobolds. These are Kobolds. They aren't evil." Detached red eyes gazed at the mine opening. "I will kill them, but it's a waste of effort. They're simple miners. They won't even put up much of a fight." Motionless except for his coat fluttering in the breeze, the vampire continued to stand, silent, motionless, inhuman, looking vaguely towards the mine's opening, and not once at his Master.

Arthur frowned. He really didn't have any objection to killing a non-human, but that Alucard had made a point of telling him the kobolds weren't evil, he hesitated. And then, realized something important.

"If they aren't evil, why are they killing people."

The lantern-like red eyes shifted to look at Arthur. "They normally live very deep in the mines, in natural rock fissures. It's rare to encounter them, for they hide well. These are much too close to the surface." The form stood there, not shifting, not moving even slightly, so very inhuman. "Either whatever drove them to the surface is also killing the miners, or the miners attacked the Kobolds out of a belief that they were dangerous." A slow blink of those red eyes. "Kobolds will defend their children, their families, if attacked." Then Alucard turned his eyes again towards the mine entrance.

Waiting, simply waiting, for a command from his Master. Inert without such a command. Idly, Arthur wondered just how long the monster would stand there. Then he grinned. Walter was at home, after all, and if Alucard thought they'd be delayed out here too long, he'd start to whine. He was fiercely protective of that equally fierce little child, and moody and fidgety when they were apart. It was odd that such an ancient, evil beast would seek out the company of a nearly-human child, but with a twinge of guilt, Arthur realized the beast was simply finding company where it could.

God knew he didn't appreciate Alucard's presence.

Decision reached. "Find out what is causing the problem, and if it is evil or deliberately hunting humans, kill it. If there is doubt, return to me for additional advice if it's prudent." Arthur had to hope that would mean both Kobolds and the hypothetical "evil" would be destroyed, but he'd settle for just whatever was causing the Kobolds to become man-killers.

Grin lighting his previously expressionless face, the vampire stepped into the cave. He was just visible enough for them to see the monster melt and a small, winged form flit away down into the caverns.

x x x x x x x

The Kobolds were the first ones he found. This clan had been after the deep metals found in these hills, their homes deep under the mine itself. They explained that they'd begun to find their children shredded, entire families destroyed, and sought safety near the lands of the sun. The mine had seemed ideal, with many barely-used corridors where the veins had run out, but their predator had followed them. The death rate had dropped substantially, but every few weeks, another miner did not return, another hunter or forager was missing.

And while they kept themselves apart from the large, noisy, blundering humans, their predator did not. And they didn't know what it was, they'd never seen it themselves. Only the bloody results of its hunting. It left no sign, no prints, only blood and destruction.

It sounded interesting. And certainly something he'd like to hunt himself. But the Kobolds didn't need to know this, and were willing to barter with him for their lives and for the hunting of the monster itself. A wicked grin on his face, Alucard set about getting something he'd been wanting for Walter, essentially "placing an order." Once he knew that the Kobolds were starting on the construction, he headed down into the mines himself.

x x x x x x It had been a difficult creature to find. It smelled of the rock in which it lived and from which it came, had a slow heartbeat and a cold nature. But Alucard was patient, determined, and very, very thorough. He was aware of the sun rising above him, and felt a pang of concern at what Arthur would think and fear, worried that his Master would call him back, force him to begin again on his hunt. But Arthur let him be, and Alucard continued, pulling on his Master to allow release to access more of his powers, and feeling Arthur relent and allow access.

Even deep underground, the daylight above weakened him, blunted his abilities, and the release had been needed to continue to hunt effectively. The faint voices scratching at his mind were only the most minor of annoyances, and the hunt continued.

He found the wyrm at last. It was an entirely new beast to him, one he'd never heard of nor seen, a unique prize. Creatures of fairy and myth adapted over the centuries to their environment, and he had no idea what it had originally been. An ogre, perhaps, even a simple kobold itself. But it had lost arms and legs, becoming a long, vicious, segmented monster, with a gaping multi-hinged jaw able to exert great power...and to twist around corners to deliver its bite.

It was a marvelous hunter, and exquisitely suited to the ambush. That flexibility of its mouth meant it could remain entirely out of site, and STILL reach around a corner with its muzzle and bite. Gray and black, flecks of sparkling substance reflecting the red glow of the vampire's eyes, it blended beautifully and skillfully with the rocks. Color, texture, temperature...a perfect subterranean hunter.

And a tasty meal, too. Alucard looked forward to employing some of those abilities, such as the incredibly agile jointedness of the beast, in his future forms. It hadn't put up much of a fight, not having adapted to predators but only to its prey. It WAS the predator, and nearly unable to defend itself.

Had the Kobolds found it themselves, they'd have killed it easily. But finding such a fantastically camouflaged monster required another monster, a skilled hunter, and that had been Alucard. Sated and complete, aware that the sun had set above, the vampire slowly returned to the surface.

x x x x x

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the Kobolds had already finished his commission, and after showing him the bits of metal, had carefully wrapped them in a thick bag to prevent the vampire from being burned himself.

Marvelous things, those rings. Flexible, not hard metal. Silver, with a backbone of iron and metals only known to the Kobolds, he could sense their burn through the bag, far more effective than any mere man-forged weapon could be. As a changeling, Walter retained enough of the Sidhe characteristics that he could use these weapons; any human foolish enough to play with them would simply be sliced to ribbons.

The Kobolds had demonstrated the wonderfully flexible, nearly sentient wires, and the vampire was delighted. "Rush order" or not, the rings were simply fantastic; with these on, Walter would be a force to be reckoned with. And instead of being left behind on hunts, he could accompany the vampire.

No more solitary hunts, but with a hunting partner, a joy the vampire had not experience since his last true fledgling more than a century previous. He purred as he pocketed the rings, eyes glowing with pleasure.

Exchange completed, the Kobolds vanished, melting into the rocks, preparing to move back to their abandoned homes far below. If they were ever hunted again, they had the right to call on him for aid, and he the obligation to provide it. Should the rings be damaged, the Kobolds would repair them. A worthwhile exchange.

x x x x x x

Arthur was relieved to see the monster emerge, though the bond had told him that the vampire still existed. He'd feared the beast had finally met a creature stronger than he, and been imprisoned.

Instead, it had simply been a wily prey, difficult to find, and a large area to hunt.

Nodding cordially at the vampire, Arthur opened the car door, climbing in and motioning the vampire after him. On the ride back, the vampire answered his questions about the Kobolds and wyrm, gazing out the windows, plainly bored. He'd already killed the monster, and the subject held no more interest for the bloodthirsty beast.

Arthur pumped him for information anyways, adding to the body of lore the Hellsing family had developed over the years.

Alucard didn't tell him about the rings. Once the boy was old enough to begin using them, he would tell Arthur. They would be too obvious not to do so. But for now, he had a secret from his Master, and a wicked smirk he was careful not to reveal past his mask of boredom. 


	30. Ruin

*I wasn't sure where to take the storyline, but realized yesterday exactly what would happen. Arthur is an ass, btw, and that's not going to change...but Alucard does get a small break!*

Ruin

It was bad enough that Arthur was cold to him, a vampire. He would live long enough that this was a temporary situation to him, and he could make it. It hurt, each day he felt he died a little more inside, but he'd make it. It was worth it, for the sanity and the safety.

But Arthur was cold to little Walter, too. The child had never had affection before, and even the limited affection that Alucard could offer was causing him to bloom and prosper. His nanny, too, clearly cared for him, but she was a proper British nanny, and kept her distance from the child. Alucard did what he could, but he slept all day, and was so emotionally empty himself after so long with Arthur that it took effort to provide the love and support he knew the child needed.

And Alucard worried.

And so, again, a letter went to Beatrice.

x x x x x x

Beatrice knew that something was wrong when the note from her vampire arrived, and said only, "Please come." She'd heard nothing from him for over two years, and that was her last visit to Hellsing. Two years? Had it truly been that long? And before that, it was only when Harlan had passed on. He'd been older than she by more than a decade, and his death was not entirely unexpected, but still too soon. Alucard had been there as she mourned at the funeral, had kept her company at her own home while she adjusted to the loss, but within a few days, he'd returned to Hellsing.

Her visit a few years ago had been to meet that quiet new boy Arthur was fostering. She'd wondered why he hadn't simply adopted, but as a Lord, adoption would put the boy in line for leadership of Hellsing, and not being of Abraham's blood, there would be issues. So she'd accepted that Walter was family, though not blood and not legally, and Alucard had seemed so happy to have a child again.

And she'd really thought things must have improved. Alucard had company again, Arthur had added a child to the family, he'd promised his aunt to try much harder to bond with the vampire...

And now this single, short, worrisome letter.

x x x x x

Beatrice knew that something was very wrong when Alucard did not come bounding out to greet her when she arrived, mid-afternoon or not. And Arthur seemed...displeased...to see her as well. She eventually caught sight of little Walter, and wasn't pleased at what she saw. Yes, he was clean and fed, but the absolute lack of interaction between the child and Arthur was chilling. He might not have been bouncing the lad on his knee when she came in...but he acted as though the boy was not there at all.

She and Arthur made small-talk until sunset, he clearly not appreciating her presence but not bold enough to ask her to leave. Little Walter, once he realized that she had come to see Alucard, warmed up to her, but was still a very reticent, though very well-mannered, child. And then at sunset, Alucard arrived.

x x x x x x x

He looked miserable. He smiled upon seeing her, but until then, his face had merely been...blank. The spring was gone from his step, the sparkle from his eyes. He looked like a sad, damp copy of the lively, mischevious vampire she'd known. And he paid Arthur no more mind than Arthur had paid to the small child. She had expected him to come barreling towards her, with his normal bounce and joy, but instead he simply paused, watching at her with a vague sort of hunger she'd never seen before.

And Beatrice watched as Arthur suddenly jerked in shock. She could HEAR, could FEEL, the snap as Alucard shattered his bond to Arthur, then stared dully at her, waiting.

It nearly broke her heart to realize that he had so little hope that she would accept.

x x x x x x

Arthur was in a panic, and also in a near-apoplectic fit. Beatrice had taken over that great bed-like chair, with Alucard snugged against her and Walter against him, and she ignored Arthur's tempests, speaking only with her newly-bound vampire.

Their bond, so new, told her so much, without the vampire even speaking. The slow, steady disregard and lack of trust by Arthur had eaten away at the creature, slowly causing his sense of self and self-worth to disintegrate. And he'd ignored it, accepting it as the price he must pay for a master, until he saw the same process beginning in Walter.

Arthur did not trust anyone that was not fully human. He truly didn't consider the worried child or the emotionally drained vampire as "people" but merely as intelligent, useful objects. He never played with the child, took him out for walks, merely found a suitable nanny and ignored the boy. The vampire was proferred the absolutely minimum amount of attention needed, and only when it was requested. Arthur simply didn't give a damn about either of them, as long as Alucard was functional enough to hunt for him, and not rebelling. And it had absolutely destroyed Alucard emotionally, after the years of love and respect and understanding with Abraham, then Paul. Even Victor had considered him to be a person, only failing to understand the level of dependency Alucard would have on him.

Arthur didn't care. And now that his vampire had left him, he fluctuated between panicky accusations at "that monster" and his aunt, orders to leave immediately, and demands that they stay. Alucard's irritated hiss, when he'd finally recovered enough to express himself, finally drove his former master off.

x x x x x x

Beatrice demanded a room of her own, next to Walter's room. She pointed out to Arthur that if she left, Alucard left. And Arthur's position on the Round Table depended on his ability to hunt vampires, and such ability would be absolutely destroyed if his trump card left. So he could either put up, or shut up.

She got her room. And she moved much of the contents of the library in her own home into the Hellsing library, to Alucard's delight. She lavished attention on Walter, and within a week, the overly-wise, reticent child was babbling at her and bringing her random things he'd found on the grounds, drawn, or created. She took the boy to the zoo, to the parks, to toy stores and sweet shops, and then spent each evening with both the child and her vampire.

She'd never expected to be bound to Alucard. She'd given him strict instructions to follow Arthur's orders unless they commandeered all common sense or were abusive, and he continued to perform on the rare hunts. The men had looked askance at her as she followed after the vampire; she was elderly, and female, after all! But they weren't about to brook her wrath after one tried to convince her to stay behind, and even less so after she finished her blistering reprimand with a reminder that it was a good thing Alucard hadn't heard them himself.

Arthur came along on the hunts, and as far as the men knew, he still controlled Alucard. Beatrice was simply family, at loose ends since the loss of her husband, and indulging in activities she'd participated in when younger.

x x x x x x x

Things eventually settled down. Walter grew, and Alucard and Beatrice began taking him on hunts. He stayed by Beatrice, until Alucard could see the hunter in him, straining at the bit to join Alucard in his work. The rings were presented then, and daily training with those deadly silver wires began.

Their "purchase" was one of the wisest things Alucard had ever done. As their first wearer, the rings were attuned to Walter and only Walter, by way of the trace of Sidhe that remained in him. They would never cut him, never harm him, except under the most extreme circumstances, and never, ever deeply enough to cause more than superficial damage. They responded to his thoughts, and when wielded with the speed and agility he demonstrated, they were incredibly deadly to vampires and other monsters.

Walter usually helped the soldiers clean out the major ghoul infestations. If a vampire fled -and most did, when they realized Alucard was present- not even a changeling such as Walter would be able to catch them. But he put a severe dent in munitions requirements, turning crowds of ghouls into so much red mist and meat and ash before more than a handful of bullets could be fired. With the adolescent boy present, the elderly Beatrice and even Arthur were kept safe, secure, and Alucard hunted with glee and no worries.

Arthur was still head of Hellsing. For all anyone knew, he was still in charge of Alucard. Beatrice served as a sort of mother and grandmother to little Walter, and Alucard as a playmate. He often took the form of a wolf, or a little girl, though the little girl aged slightly as Walter aged. But his tall form was now seen as often as the small form, and though he never regained all the bounce and joy he'd formerly expressed...he was still clearly happy.

He, Walter, and Beatrice had a sort of family of their own, and Hellsing prospered as the Institute continued to be a dominant, successful, secretive, and very deadly agency protecting England. Even King George the VI had met with Alucard, and his daughter Elizabeth had requested a meeting with Alucard herself. With royal favor and a steady, happy home life, Alucard was regaining the pleasure and happiness he had taken for granted.

x x x x x x x x x

And then the Nazis invaded Poland. 


	31. Being kids

*I know, I know...Beatrice was deathly ill, Alucard was biting a Hydra, and instead of an update on those two storylines...you get this. Plot bunnies arrive as they will! I'm trying to get Hydra done in the next 24 hours, cross your fingers for me!*

Being Kids

Arthur was entirely uncertain what to make of this.

He was still angry that Alucard had broken their bond. He'd done his best for the monster; Alucard had been undisturbed during the day, well-fed, and when he asked for attention, it had been provided. Walter had good food, nice clothing, regular baths, a proper nanny, and was being educated. Everything had been running quietly and smoothly.

And then Alucard had sent that damn letter, and Beatrice had shown up. Within moments of Alucard waking up, she had the absolute and undivided loyalty and love of both HIS monsters. Arthur was entirely forgotten, except for the occasional glare or hiss. It had been a couple months, and he'd adjusted, somewhat, to the massive insult to his leadership ability. But that quiet, obedient monster he'd been in charge of, and that little changeling, had changed entirely from the proper and obedient servants they'd been.

Right now, they were...PLAYING.

Running up and down the hallways, shrieking, playing some sort of game of tag like real children would. Curious at the noise, he left his office, looking over the bannister at the hallway below. A flash of black was Walter's head, the boy holding his little pop-gun and craning his neck around the corner, looking for the vampire.

The vampire, looking far too like a little girl, was sneaking up behind him. Within moments, Alucard had startled a shriek out of Walter, followed by a giggle from both kids, and then Alucard had taken off, Walter right behind her. An echoing yelp announced when he'd caught her, and then immediately an argument about whether or not it was fair ensued.

The argument ended in moments, and Walter suggested a game of hide and seek. They immediately started arguing about rules, and ended up in a tussle on the floor, giggles and shrieks of laughter echoing through the house though they were well out of Arthur's sight.

Those two never ran out of energy.

Within moments, they were racing down the hallways again.

Arthur was surprised to realize that he was smiling. Pulling back from the railing, a slight smile still on his lips, he returned to his office and the tedious paperwork the kids' joy had pulled him from. 


	32. Sparring

*Time for a bit of fill-in, as the previous story covered a whoooole lotta timeline in very little time!*

Sparring

It was stressful, having Arthur in the house. Even with Beatrice as a buffer, he still managed to put both Alucard and Walter on edge, creating a tension in them that never seemed to fully ease. The cold, calculating glares were met by a haughty stare from the child and an irritated hiss by the vampire, but the next time they saw Arthur, the expression would have returned.

And so, they sparred. Alucard was able to let go a bit, snarling and lunging, as he could not have with a pure human. Walter, rather than being terrified of the monster, became angry himself, a vicious smile spreading across his soft and childish features. His speed and reflexes allowed him to give as good as he got, and their bloody, vicious, terrifyingly loud sparring matches made the other residents cringe. They'd return from a practice session, clothes in tatters, new bruises forming across Walter's body, slowly fading red burns and gashes on the vampire.

Beatrice was tempted to stop them; they were so...violent. And with the near-daily injuries, Alucard's blood consumption had nearly doubled. Walter required new clothes constantly, although she was wise enough to order cheap, simple garments that were already one step from the ragpile for the two of them to destroy.

But when they came inside, finally satisfied and relaxed after the exertion and pain, they had worked off the stress that had built. They were predators, and the lack of prey and the stress of their home lives required some sort of release. After fifty years of existence, the Hellsing Institute had removed the long-standing supernatural threats, and the ones that cropped up now tended to be weak and rare.

The sparring provided a much-needed safety valve for the two predators, one old and dangerous, one young and sweet and deadly.

Beatrice watched them, almost sadly. The vampire was nearly purring, and looked like nothing so much as a happily tired little girl sipping a bottle of juice. Walter, too, looked pleasantly fatigued and entirely relaxed. No matter how much she loved them, their underlying predatory and vicious nature would always come as a surprise. Unlike Arthur, she loved them anyways.

They were only slightly surprised but very pleased when Beatrice grabbed a cookie and a drink and joined them at the table. 


	33. Adaptation

*Arthur is a failure, Beatrice is aging, and no one else is "usable." So, what to do?*

Adaptation

Beatrice worried, flipping through the worn pages of the little book she'd crafted over a decade ago.

She was here, true. But as she'd seen when the Hellsings gathered for her husband's funeral, and prior to that, when Winters had passed away, she was the last suitable Hellsing. Damn Arthur; he had kept Alucard away from the newest generation far more than she had realized. Most of them didn't even know the vampire existed. Their parents had met him briefly when they were younger, but never truly had time to bond with the creature.

John and Victor had kept their families well away after their disastrous bonding experience, still frightened of the vampire despite Alucard's attempts to put them at ease. Their families, even were they appraised of the vampire's existence, lacked a single member with both the fire and the brains to handle the beast. Victor might be lured back to take the position of Master, but he and Arthur had both failed to have the emotional depth needed to understand Alucard.

Even though the book spelled out clearly how needy he was and emphasized the emotional aspect of the bond, they'd either ignored it or been unable to understand and apply it.

The only person she'd even consider as a possible new master was Arthur Holmswoods son, and Byron was near her own age. And he had not a drop of Hellsing blood in his body. The many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Abraham Hellsing lacked any candidates as suitable as Byron. Over a dozen, and not a one that Alucard could tap as a Master without another disaster.

And so, she called Alucard to her.

x x x x x x

Solemn red eyes met hers. "We spent months preparing each of these, time each day set aside for crafting the bonds and the seals." Pondering, the vampire continued. "The spells could be compressed, made faster to establish, but that means more power." The vampire leaned back, eyes distant as he remembered explaining this to her own father so many, many years ago. "Spells must be paid for, nothing is free. Time and effort, a little each day over long, long periods, intricacy and concentration, paid for these spells. They took a very long time to research and design, far longer to construct. And each one is tied to the Hellsing bloodline." A sad long look back at her. "They'd have to be completely rebuilt. It would be a decade or more before I have regained the power and control I have now, and that would be assuming I found a competent Master also able to master these arts."

The conversation continued long into the night. Alucard's dusty books were uncrated and returned, and repeated raids on Abraham's extensive library occured as well. It was the discovery of how to store power in stones that triggered the epiphany. Beatrice spent weeks contacting paraphysical societies, finding texts and treatises dealing with such power storage and researching suitable gems and how to use them.

Within a few months, Beatrice was spending a large sum of her financial estate purchasing rare stones and learning to carve. Alucard turned out to be a very talented jeweler, able to carve intricate symbols into the stones and chip out tiny sigils. It would be years before the stones were completed and charged, but they could be used to power the newer, quicker spells, bringing Alucard back to full power in a matter of weeks, not years.

It was something neither of them wished was necessary. But neither held out any hope of a potential candidate developing among the current generations of Hellsings. 


	34. Sick

*Notice there were no sheets, no books...Alucard has his limits, dutiful or not*

Sick

Arthur was surprised to see the vampire in his study. He'd come in to work, and found the vampire seated by the fire, book in his lap. Ignoring Alucard, he simply went to work, and shortly forgot about his unwanted and unwelcome guest. However, when he'd finished, he looked up and found the vampire still in the study, still reading.

"Alucard." Emotionless red eyes looked up at him. "Why are you here?" Arthur had long since ceased using basic pleasantries with the monster, and now that Alucard had betrayed him to bond to Beatrice, he was even less inclined to do so.

What he had not expected was the clear pause, as Alucard obviously debated whether or not to even answer him. Beatrice had given the vampire orders to obey Arthur, but as the moments dragged on, Arthur realized with a sinking feeling that she'd given the vampire no orders to cooperate...

But to his relief, Alucard answered him, though managing to convey that Arthur's lack of manners was a disappointment. It wasn't so much cooperation as a subtle demonstration of how to display good manners, as though Arthur were a wayward child, and Hellsing found his teeth clenching at the irritation he refused to show.

"Beatrice and Walter are both ill and need their rest. I wish to be close enough to them to hear if they should need me, but not so close that I will disturb their sleep or that they will feel they need to interact." Red eyes blinked at him, implying that Arthur had been negligent. "I have gotten them water to drink, soup near at hand should they need it, handkerchiefs and aspirins. They have clean sheets and warm blankets, syrup for their throats, and a small selection of books and a phonograph if they need distraction. As the other household members are asleep, I intend to stay nearby throughout the night." At this, Alucard ended the conversation by returning to his book, clearly ignoring Arthur again.

Arthur fumed; he had never gathered how the vampire could deliver such a reprimand for selfishness and rudeness without saying a single thing about it. But Beatrice was ill; Alucard had argued fiercely with her before the last hunt, convincing both her and Walter to stay home and nurse their colds. They were in no danger, it was simply a winter cold but more virulent and worse than most, and the two of them and much of the household had been coughing, sneezing, and feverish for the last week. Yesterday, they'd both finally succumbed to the fatigued state, and kept to their beds.

And Arthur, healthy as ever, had not even bothered to check on them. Chastised, he made a mental note to visit with the two of them the next day before returning to his own room for sleep.

x x x x x x x

Arthur hacked, his throat raw and producing flecks of blood from the constant, racking cough. His throat was parched, but the water pitcher by the bed was entirely empty and he was simply too exhausted to go and get more. He'd brought a magazine to bed for a distraction, but he'd long since read it, and he was bored. His sheets stank of sour sweat after a day and most of the night spent feverish in the bed. His head ached miserably, and he had a pair of aspirin waiting for him, but no water to take them with. Even dried out as he was, his nose still ran constantly, and all he had was a handful of already-soggy handkerchiefs.

And at 4 in the morning, the only one awake would be Alucard.

And, Arthur had to miserably admit to himself, Alucard would not bother with caring for Arthur any more than Arthur would have cared for Alucard. This would not kill him, he was simply uncomfortable. He would deal with uncomfortable, and with a stoic expression, he attempted to relax into the sheets and sleep again.

And jerked back upright, coughing and hacking, nose running mercilessly and head spiking with pain at each cough and gasp. He had no idea the illness was this bad, and once again, guilt added to the physical misery. He had completely forgotten to check on Beatrice and Walter. But Alucard, the emotionless, selfish, unfeeling monster...had nursed both of them through their illness. Beatrice was his Master, but he'd been just as attentive and concerned for Walter.

The lack of sleep and distraction and the cold hard facts of Alucard's behavior were forcing Arthur to consider a few possibilities he'd managed to ignore before. Perhaps the vampire wasn't as ultimately selfish as he'd thought? But it was hard to maintain a coherent train of thought, and he went back to staring at the ceiling, awake and miserable.

A black form swirled on the far wall, and Alucard stalked through. He said nothing, but placed a stack of handkerchiefs, pitcher of cold water, and a bottle of cough syrup by the bed. Amazed, and speechless himself, Arthur watched him set the items down, an unmistakeable scowl on the vampire's face.

The vampire turned to leave, as swift and uncommunicative as when he had entered moments before, and Arthur finally found his voice. Cracked and wheezing, he asked simply, "Why?"

The head turned slightly, the edge of a cold red eye watching Arthur impassively. "Not by choice. I promised Abraham I would take care of his family. I keep MY promises." A single step took the vampire from the room, gone through the wall before Arthur could say anything more.

Stunned, the Hellsing watched the wall where the vampire had gone. Abraham was dead, gone for many years.

Why had he asked the vampire to care for his family? Why had the vampire agreed?

And why, so long afterwards, did the vampire feel the need to still keep that promise?

Those questions would have to wait until he had a clearer head. Cough medicine soothing his throat, aspirin finally taken, cold water slowly restoring moisture to his body, and a new pair of soggy handkerchiefs added to the pile, Arthur slept again, recuperating. 


	35. War comes

*WWII is approaching. Alucard is "experienced" enough at war to see it looming, and now it's time to prepare his family. Thank you again to all those kind enough to review my stories; I've even gotten two recent reviews on "Awaken" which just tickled me. Thanks!*

War Comes

"Master." Alucard's quiet voice pulled Beatrice out of her worried funk. She had grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and a new war was breaking out. Victor was healthy, likely to be drafted. Her home...she remembered the bombing, short thought it was, of London during the Great War. She knew what was coming, and her stress and worry had awoken her own vampire.

Silent now that he had her attention, Alucard simply moved to his master, holding her, silently offering her his support and protection. So in tune to her, he knew, always, what she needed, and provided it. Briefly, Bea allowed herself to lean into him, then pulled away.

"Arthur. He was too young in the Great War to remember much of what we did." Lifting her face to Alucard's, she ordered quietly, "Have him come to me in my office shortly. Summon Walter as well." Even more quietly, "Things are going to change, quickly, and he needs to be briefed."

x x x x x

"England goes to war." Beatrice's hard gaze bore into Arthur's, emphasizing the seriousness of this. "The petty squabbles with Ireland and other actions in your lifetime are nothing compared to what is about to occur. Germany has been building towards this for years. And after their defeat the first time around, they have no love for England, no love at all."

"There will be no war, Churchill and His Majesty won't allow it." Arthur scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Hitler just wants territory that Germany really has a right to, lands they lost previously. Once he has those lands and some respect again, he'll settle back down. He's not an idiot, there's no chance he'd risk Germany's recent recovery by starting problems back up again."

"Giving him what he wants will not work." The vampire's cool observation riled Arthur, but under Bea's watchful eyes, he did not retort. "Hitler is a leader much as I was when human. Britain has shown weakness, rolled over and shown him its belly. Why would he back down?" A toothy grin. "He's far too much like me, this is simply his invitation to take Europe. And now, he's been granted land and resources at no cost to himself to help fund his army. He's been shown that the weak-willed, appeasing European countries won't act before it's too late."

An enormous bright grin, eyes flaming with glee. "He's a warmonger, a kindred spirit I can feel even through the medium of a radio. Deny all you want, human, but we are heading back into war and slaughter again." Eyes dancing with joy, the vampire settled again, under the disapproving look Bea gave him. Arthur had no idea how she could stomach the bloodthirsty bastard.

"Arthur." He turned back to his aunt. "You were young the first war. If what you believe is correct and the war ends with no real war at all, then you may say "I told you so" to your heart's content. But as the leader of Hellsing, you need all the information we can provide you from the first war. I'll tell you what your grandfather chose to do, so that you are clearly prepared and informed when the Round Table convenes to discuss and debate this."

"Every soldier here went to war." Beatrice's cool announcement shocked Arthur, widening his eyes. Surely not every? "Every one of them, not vital to the security of the country, trained as a unit, well-armed, was used as special squads in the Great War. Many did not come back, but units that originated from Hellsing were highly sought after and far, far more effective than other units." A pause. "The Round Table will seek to draft every one of your men again. I suggest you allow it." A pause, as Beatrice took a sip of her tea, thinking how to handle this. "You're going to need all the strings you can pull after this war, while England is rebuilding, to get those troops back. Cooperate, make it clear you are doing them a favor by "giving" them your troops, and build up a position to make your demands later."

"Before, Abraham and Alucard alone were able to handle most of the outbreaks. There were increased civilian casualties, certainly. This time, you have the addition of Walter. Hunts will be less effective, yes. Ghouls will find more victims, and there will be far less assurance of privacy in a hunt as well. But Hellsing can function with only Alucard, and this war, you'll have two hunters; Walter is young, but capable of a great deal on his own."

In the corner, Walter, whose eyes had been slightly widened by the conversation he was hearing, brightened with pride, and his back straightened even more. Arthur did not miss that those eyes also brightened with...anticipation. Noticing this, Beatrice pushed a pad of paper and a pen into his hand, with the crisp instructions to "take notes."

Beatrice continued. "London was also bombed, but ineffectively, during the Great War. Aircraft have improved, and you can expect a great many city residents to flee to the country. Bring them here." Arthur began to argue, but Beatrice cut him off. "Our soldiers deserve to know that their families are safe. Use the barracks wing to house their wives and children, sisters and near family. We'll have the space and the facilities to do so, easily." A longer pause. "Our family is threatened, too. We have many relatives in London, and many others of high rank. We are targets. You and I have excellent protection." Her gaze pinned Arthur to his chair.

"Bring the other Hellsings here. The men, such as your brother Richard, will be drafted, given commissions and men to lead, or otherwise too busy running Britain to care for their families. Give them peace of mind. Bring all of them here." A small smile. "A future heir needs need to know the family history and meet the family monster, after all. The need to bond with a Hellsing does not go away simply because you do not like Alucard, and they have to meet him to know him."

"They'll be terrified." Arthur's flat pronouncement met with a nod from Beatrice.

"As to be expected. But some will be young children, who will not frighten, and Alucard is certainly capable of looking human while he sizes them up. You should remember the rough-and-tumble play with him when he was in wolf form and we were young. Every Hellsing of the first two generations has those memories! With the other unrelated non-combatants in the house, Alucard isn't going to be a vampire." She smiled slightly at Arthur's confusion.

"I was not in the first war." Arthur's head snapped back to the vampire, seeing him calm again, no longer bloodthirsty and grinning as the monster made his cool, calm observation. "Abraham and Mary wished me to look human or animal for the duration of our guests' stay. I will do the same during this war. Although if I do choose a candidate for a future master, that person will need to know otherwise."

"You're both insane. There will be no war, no need to move civilians into my home, and I will be telling you both "I told you so" for a very long time." Relenting slightly, he continued. "I do appreciate you sharing this information with me, but it was mostly a waste of time." Rudely, he pushed out of the room, leaving the three of them behind.

x x x x x x x

Walter looked eagerly to Beatrice and Alucard. "A war? Truly?" Beatrice looked at him somberly.

"War is watching those you care about injured, worrying for them, dealing with privation. War is innocents being scarred, slaughtered, families destroyed. War is not good, Walter."

Alucard's fierce grin belied that. "Beatrice, the only family we have is each other, and you. We aren't at risk. You should be well aware that I don't give a damn about any other human unless I'm allowed to eat them or hunt them, and after Walter's first family, I don't think he cares, either." His joy told her more than she ever needed to know about how much he loved such things, and Walter's excitement was building, too. "To us, war is merely a chance to kill more, to experience more, to test ourselves. To hunt without dragging along a set of human troops, to shred what we hunt and without having you angry that we are traumatizing the men.

When I was human, I would have worried about how fighting damaged my country, about crops and harvests and yields, about arming and training my troops, and about who to ally with and why. Master, all that is gone. I wish to protect my family, to meet the Hellsings, and to kill.

Grieve for the war, Master. You are human, it is right that you should. Show Walter how to be human. But I am not human, and this...this is wonderful news."

With a smirk, the vampire vanished, and Beatrice turned back to the young lad behind her, page half-full of forgotten notes, and his eyes shining. Her heart sank to see his enthusiasm and joy, as did the hearts of thousands more mothers across Britain as their children anticipated the glory of war, and failed to foresee the pain. "Walter...people I know and care for are going to die. I understand that you have no one to affect you like this yourself. But I know you care for me, and the war that makes you happy will cause me more grief than I ever want to know." She walked to the lad, seeing the joy in his eyes die and his thoughts become more somber. She clasped his cheeks between her cold hands, looking into his eyes. "Alucard is a monster, but you're not. Don't forget to grieve for the pain of others, even if it is not your pain."

A glisten of tears in his eyes as the full import of her words suddenly penetrated his adolescent mind, and she found him hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry for you, Aunt Bea, and I don't want anything to hurt you. Bring your family here, Alucard and I will keep them safe."

Hugging him back, Beatrice took a few moments to pull herself together.

War was coming. There was much to do. 


	36. Deployed

*If you haven't read The Dawn, Alucard was rather...cracked. His coffin seemed sentient, and wandered around on about a dozen hands and arms. He also chose to fight as a little girl, telling Walter that was was a kid's game, so look, hey, they were kids! I chose to give it a deeper reasoning, based on the knowledge Integra revealed about the Freak vampires and how they never produced new vampires. Once again, thank you for any reviews. It's been a few years since I read The Dawn, so if any of this conflicts with Hirano's story, please let me know!*

Deployed

Arthur returned from the Round Table meeting, looking extremely worried and tense, and was meeting with Beatrice, Walter, and Alucard in his study.

He was brief and to the point.

"The Nazis have vampires."

Alucard's faint smirk grew into an enormous anticipatory grin, Walter looked excited, and Beatrice paled. Arthur ignored them to pour himself a large tumbler of scotch, then flopped into his chair. "We've got a lot to discuss. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

Beatrice got herself some Scotch as well, then sat on the sofa, eyes closed for a few moments while the possible implications of what Arthur had said ran through her mind. Walter joined her, but fidgeted, as youth are prone to do. Alucard didn't even attempt to sit on a couch. Inhuman, he remained frozen in position, eyes sparkling and fanged grin spread across his entire face.

"There were suspicions. A Hellsing unit was sent in. They were ghouled, but were able to report that the base they moved against had non-human soldiers." Arthur's eyes were elsewhere as he thought of the best way to relay this new information. "They aren't normal vampires. The ghouls at the base, some of them were children, mere toddlers, yet every vampire was an adult male." A pause again as he collected his thoughts. "The only conclusions I can draw are that either they are unable to produce more vampires by biting, or they raped every child they attacked and-"

Here, Arthur was cut off. Alucard's eyes were BLAZING, and the deep snarl that ripped out of his throat would have made anyone but a Hellsing scream in terror. He was literally SHAKING with rage, hands curved into claws, thick yellow talons on each finger, every sharp and jagged tooth in his maw on display.

If ever a Hellsing had doubted Abraham's conclusion about the root cause of Alucard's behavior with men...this erased any lingering doubt. Not a fool, Arthur turned to Alucard. "We want you to kill them."

Beatrice's cold, calculating voice, the only sign of her inner turmoil at the news, was crisp and clear. "Of course. When, and how?"

x x x x x

Both Alucard and Walter had been sent. Beatrice had fretted about sending the boy, but it was needed. Alucard had been...unbalanced...since the news, and there was no doubt that he intended a bloody rampage through the Nazi lines and a sure death for the vampires. Sure, but slow. He was far too angry, far too emotional, to even begin to be capable of gathering and analyzing any facts or data. Someone else, not so emotionally...invested...would be needed to do so. No one yet knew if the Nazi's had been instructed to kill any vampiric offspring that were not adult males, if they were unable to create vampire children the "traditional" way, or if they had truly desecrated even the tiny children before biting them.

And so, the two of them had left. Alucard had changed to the dainty, feminine form he'd used when Walter was younger. He seemed to find it fitting, that the monster that destroyed the Nazi vampires looked so much like the helpless children the Nazis themselves had destroyed. Beatrice and Arthur had understood why he had done this, but Walter, ignorant of Alucard's history, was perplexed. It was decided not to tell Walter what they knew and thought they knew of Alucard's past. If the monster decided to share that information with Walter, he would. In the meantime, they would let the matter lie.

x x x x x x

Arthur, always the playboy, became a drunken whoremongerer during their absence. Beatrice was somewhat amused to realize that the man had "behaved" himself because their was a child in the house, though she'd been well aware that he'd been a regular customer at a handful of the more fashionable "escort agencies." But with Hellsing paralyzed, its ability to protect English soil removed, he clearly felt useless. His soldiers were gone, his two trump cards gone, and yet reports of local vampire predations continued to arrive. He'd taken to drinking and whoring to deal with the stress.

Beatrice worried, fretted, stewed, and paced for days. Information returning from their special agents' operations was spotty, heavily censored, and often entirely stopped when overworked communications officers dismissed the reports as foolish pranks or German manipulation and failed to send them onwards. The bond between them remained strong; Alucard and Abraham had worked hard to make it capable of reaching across continents without damaging the monster, but it had never been stressed so hard and for so long. She hoped that Walter would be there to help Alucard cope with any problems, but neither she nor Arthur knew what was occurring.

Reports indicated that both were still "alive" and working, with horrific accounts of buildings found filled with little more than blood and ash and palm-sized body parts. Blood, blood everywhere; they had photographs of the carnage, and even in black-and-white, the horror that been inflicted on the Nazis was mindshattering. Damage that could only be Walter's wires showed on walls, doors, and furniture; the imprints of bodies thrown entirely through walls and the sheer level of gore indicated Alucard's work. Many of his victims were human, but the ash indicated they'd been working with the vampires, and Beatrice accepted them as legitimate targets. She and Arthur knew that Alucard and Walter were very effective.

What was unknown was the condition of the two agents.

x x x x x x

Finally, the main base producing the vampiric soldiers was located. A plane was sent to pick up Alucard and Walter and the coffin, and take them to what was hopefully their final target. Alucard had gotten "odd," and Walter's spotty reports of his strange humor and unstable temperament were worrying Beatrice. The vampire was barely sane at the best of times, and the carnage, the bloodshed, the violence, and the prolonged separation from her were a very dangerous set of circumstances. Walter's presence had helped, but Alucard had begun playing tricks with his shadows and seemed unable to differentiate between his pranks and reality.

Beatrice worried.

x x x x x x x

The cargo plane landed, and out...walked...a coffin. Alucard had conjured arms to carry it about, using them like legs, and he bounced out after his coffin, bright and happy smile and white coat adorning the cute little girl. He also was speaking to his coffin, encouraging it along, and Beatrice wilted a bit inside. Her vampire's sanity...what had she done? Behind the coffin sauntered Walter. He wore a bandage over an eye; she knew it was injured, but the medics that worked on him had reported that he would recover use of it. He was bandaged, bumped, and banged, and through his confident and steady gaze, she knew he'd seen horrors, and it had aged him. Though he hadn't had much of a childhood, what stood before her was no longer a child.

She hugged Walter, holding him hard, trying to convey through her touch how very much she regretted what she had sent him through, but also how very proud she was. She stood back, and they were silent for a moment, eyes locked in their private communion. He nodded, accepting of what she was trying to tell him, reassurring her that he was alright, and Beatrice turned to Alucard.

To Hell with his dignity. If he was going to look like a little girl, she was going to use that. Before the vampire could even blink, Beatrice had scooped him up. Holding Alucard tightly, they walked across the tarmac through the afternoon sun to the Hellsing vehicles.

Alucard spent the ride home curled in her lap, gripping her coat fiercely, and sleeping soundly. With the sun up, he'd been asleep before they even reached the car, his purr dying off within seconds as he began to drowse. The coffin rode on top of the car, gripping the room through the open windows. The windows were open as Walter puffed away on his cigarette, pulling the smoke out of the interior.

Beatrice no more commented on the cigarette than on the coffin. She'd sent them to Hell, knowing it would be Hell, and having no choice. And they had gone willingly. Walter was no child anymore to be told what he could and could not indulge in.

But oh, was she glad to have them back. She shifted the vampire a little in her lap, holding him tightly. Any human would have squirmed and complained, but her vampire slept on, Bea's chin resting in his hair.

Arthur would debrief them when they reached Hellsing, but for now, she had her family back. 


	37. Rescue

*War makes everyone grow up a bit...and once Alucard is back, Arthur is more aware of just who Alucard is. Time away was time to see the vampire from a very different perspective...*

Rescue

Alucard woke up, absolutely frantic. Bea, Bea, where was Bea? All around him, he could hear the sounds of the horses, the gutteral laughter of the Turks, could smell the sour, acrid scent of the horse manure they burned and the stench of a long-term military camp. It was not cloth tent walls he pushed through, but a wooden door, not leering, aroused bearded faces, but an empty black hallways.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. He didn't know. Was he an adult? A child? He nearly wailed his fear, nothing made sense, where was Bea? He could feel her, but she wasn't here, wasn't home, and he stumbled through rooms and walls, tears streaking his cheeks, dodging Turkish soldiers only he could see, mumbling and begging them to leave him alone.

Hands, there were hands on him, gripping him, trapping him, and he wailed again, twisting, trying to escape. But the hands held him, pulled him close, and...simply held him.

Not a Turk, no. Not Beatrice. Who?

Someone familiar. Who?

Sobs quieting, shaking easing, the vampire watched the ghostly forms of the Turkish camp and the flickering fires fade away, replaced by the thick drapes of the study. There was a fire, burning low in the hearth, just enough to chase the last of the chill away from the room, but the smokey, stinking fires of the camp...nowhere.

A memory, then, it had been a memory. A dream. Only that, nothing more.

He was in Abraham's office. Abraham was gone, though. And Paul, too.

Who was this? Someone held him close, was muttering softly and soothingly into his hair, gently patting his back. He let the person pull him into a chair, still holding him close, and the confusing lights and sights were suddenly blocked from him. A blanket, it had to be a blanket, thick and dark, hiding the brightness and confusion from him. Even sounds were slightly muffled, and the scents all replaced by the faint woolen odor.

Concealed. Safe. Warm. Quiet. Protected. Alucard found himself dozing off, hands knotted in his savior's vest, cheek resting below a shoulder.

x x x x x

Arthur continued gently rocking the distraught monster, soothing him into a deeper sleep. Later, he'd take the beast back down to his coffin. But later. Perhaps Beatrice would have returned from her outing by then; she was who Alucard truly needed.

The look he directed at the monster was more solemn and more understanding than it had been only a few years ago. He had a sad idea of what composed this particular nightmare, and his heart twisted a bit for the child Alucard had once been. Perhaps he'd give the vampire a bit of blood before settling him in the coffin, try and distract him and allow Alucard a solid afternoon of sleep. He found it almost unimaginable that he'd once considered these breakdowns to be annoyances, been nearly convinced the vampire only indulged in them for attention.

Guilt ate at him. Yes, he'd definitely give the monster a bit of blood. God knew he deserved it. 


	38. Casualties

*Not everyone can make it through a war.*

Casualties

Things were settling back down at the estate.

Arthur was more caring of Alucard; still suspicious, but much more aware that the vampire retained some very human feelings and needs. There was a blatant lack of trust, but the man was being much warmer to the monster, and Alucard was responding with more respect and a less "prickly" personality. It also didn't hurt that with the time the hunters were away, the vampire population of England had experienced a small resurgence and targets had a chance to conceal themselves and move elsewhere. With so few Hellsing soldiers remaining, Alucard and Walter had their values skyrocketing in Arthur's eyes.

Walter was changing, both from the war and the increased respect he received from Arthur and Alucard. Far more confident, and even though only in his teens he was clearly in many ways a man, and it showed. His respect for himself had increased greatly, and he was now busy working to become an educated, well-spoken man that drew the equal respect of others.

Things were not settling well for Beatrice, and Alucard worried for his Master. Victor's family was at Hellsing, and Beatrice was a doting grandmother, but Victor himself was stationed in France, overseeing the Hellsing troops and with a commission of his own. And she had not heard from him in almost two weeks, with no information from the government either.

x x x x x x

The innocuous envelope, delivered by a solemn and uniformed man, informed them that Victor had died in the line of duty.

The quiet phone call to Arthur told them that Victor had been ghouled trying to get his squad of men to safety, but had been instrumental in determining the final target to destroy the Nazi vampirism program. Cold comfort, and Beatrice awoke constantly to nightmares of her son's corpse staggering towards her, gray skin sloughing off, yellow teeth bared.

Alucard did what he could to be there for her, but his own immortality flaunted what she had lost, his vampiric nature reminded her of the shambling ghoul her son had become before he died. And Alucard grieved, too; Victor had been a Hellsing, and his Master for years, and his loss hurt. Arthur had lost his cousin and friend, and one of only a handful of people he could confide in and go to for advice and understanding as he led Hellsing and worked with Alucard. Grieving themselves, Alucard and Arthur mourned with the Master of the Monster.

Vampire and human joined together to comfort Beatrice, but something inside her had broken, and for the first time, Alucard saw her as her true age. He'd always carried a mental image of her as the bright girl he remembered, and her bowed grey head frightened him. He did what he could for her, there when a nightmare woke her, his constant presence reassuring her when it was not a hurtful reminder, listening when she needed to speak, holding her when she needed to be held.

And he redoubled his efforts to modify his binding ritual, knowing and fearing his possible future.

Paul's children and grandchildren were wonderful, but they had never seen him as anything but a big dog to play with, or another resident, polite and quiet, that they rarely encountered. Victor's widow had raised a very proper family, and he had rejoiced in the presence of so many of Abraham's blood, but they were as unsuitable as Paul's had been. John had left no children. And Rachel had produced Arthur and Richard. Arthur had yet to marry, and Richard...Richard had been absent from the estate since his brief visit at Paul's passing.

It was possible one of the youngest children would grow into a suitable Master, but with Beatrice failing and Arthur so cold, Alucard held no hope. And so, unknown to Beatrice or Arthur, he recruited the assistance of Walter to carve, to mold, to charge the few already-prepared gems with energy provided by the flock of Hellsings in the manor.

And he worried, his own face growing grim as Beatrice faded a bit more each day. 


	39. In Confidence

*A few more Hellsings than simply John, Arthur, and Beatrice need to know what is occurring! And so, time to take Victor's widow into their confidence. It's a very long chapter, but I liked the opportunity to practice dialogue. Advice and reviews always appreciated!*

In Confidence

With Victor's death, Beatrice and Arthur extended an open invitation to his family to stay at the Estate as long as they wished. There was a funeral, Beatrice grey and weeping, face lined, and looking far older than she should. There was a family gathering, easier because much of the family was already present at the Hellsing Estate, and the reading of the will. And during it all, the attentive young man with the soft brown eyes was at Beatrice's side.

When things had settled a bit, it was time to speak to the widow and two children about Hellsing and Alucard. They were no longer short-term visitors, but family, all the familiy that Beatrice had. Where her grandchildren were, she would be, and since she was not leaving Alucard...the mansion now had children in it again.

Very proper children, with a very proper mother, who had not in her grief failed to notice the very attractive man hovering about her much older mother-in-law, and begun to have her own unpleasant suspicions. It would be far too easy for an unscrupulous person to begin to take advantage of her very bereaved and very dear Mother Bea. And this particular person had clearly spent quite some time worming his way into Bea's affections.

And so, when she responded to Arthur's summons to his office, finally meeting with Beatrice and Arthur and the very suspicious Alucard, it was with a sense of relief. Guest or not, Beatrice was family, and she had some responsibility towards the woman who had been so kind to herself and her children. She only hoped it would come out well.

x x x x x

"Claire," began Arthur, speaking heavily and deliberately, "please choose a seat. This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, and I'd prefer if you were seated before we delivered it." She took a seat in one of the armchairs, far too refined to react when Arthur, unasked, placed a heavy tumbler of alcohol within her reach. The cad, Alucard, was still uncomfortably close to Beatrice, but when she took a seat in her chair, he very unexpectedly took a seat on the floor beside her.

The weird young fellow appeared to be cuddling against Beatrice's knee, but his penetrating, oddly fierce gaze was riveted on her instead. Beatrice seemed utterly unsurprised by his unusual choice of seating and behavior, simply running her fingers through his hair. The door clicked, and a young man Claire had met and spoken politely to, but did not actually know, also came in. He took an armchair himself, his steady gaze on her as much as Alucard's was. Arthur took one of the remaining armchairs and a healthy gulp of scotch, then began to explain.

"As you may have noticed, it was no real issue bringing so many people into our estate. There were plenty of rooms and beds, a spare kitchen, and more. The reason is fairly simple; normally, Hellsing has approximately fifty soldiers stationed here, and the staff to support them. We are an unofficial military branch of Britain, and all but two of our troops were sent to the war. Victor, having previously led Hellsing prior to my taking over, was placed in charge of those units." He stopped for a moment, face sad, still clearly struggling with the loss.

"The families that are here are all the relatives of our Hellsing soldiers. However, most of them are not aware of the actual nature of what Hellsing does, and we have kept it that way. We would have liked to have shared our...purpose...with the members of the family that are here. However, it would have served no useful function to do so, placed our secrecy at risk, and likely given many of the family members nightmares. My generation and Beatrice's generation were all well aware of the purpose of Hellsing, as it is a heredity position.

However, despite the numbers in our family, there were no suitable candidates to inherit, and thus it has not been revealed to most spouses or to the next generation, such as your own children. But as you will be staying here with Beatrice for the foreseeable future, you need to know." He stopped here, taking a drink yet again, and turning to Beatrice. Claire was feeling unnerved, but it was clear that this was an important meeting. What, exactly, was occuring?

Beatrice took over the explanation, her voice clear despite her apparent frailty and age. Claire was reminded that Mother Bea really was not that old; born at the turn of the century, and not yet fifty. But two wars, the deaths of so many children, the loss of her husband and only surviving son, they had aged her. Respectfully attentive, Claire waited.

"My father noticed an increase in deaths in his native Holland, odd deaths, and an increase in reports of very unusual people and activities. He became convinced that there was a problem of a supernatural nature, and turned his educated, skeptical, scientifically-trained mind to seeking an explanation. And he found one; vampirism." She watched Claire closely as she spoke. While Claire found the concept foolish, it was clearly an important part of the history they were sharing with her, and so she listened.

"He was in England when a vampire arrived, and began preying on friends and acquaintances of his own. Count Dracula was his name, and he came to England appearing as a handsome Romanian noble. Father successfully fought the vampire, chasing it away back across the ocean to Romania, taking it prisoner in its own castle. And then he found something rather surprising. The vampire was searching for a human to serve as its master, and was not fighting Abraham, but attempting to convince father to work with him instead. This is how the Godalming and Harker families became entwined with the Hellsing family; Mina and Johnathan Harker, Arthur Godalming," and she nodded towards her nephew, "his namesake, in fact, and John Seward as well as an American named Quincy Morris were all involved. Quincy did not survive the hunt, and John had no children, but the Harkers and Godalmings are linked closely with Hellsing as a result of this experience."

"Father brought his vampire back to England, and working with representatives of the English government, created the Hellsing Institute. We train soldiers to kill vampires and other creatures that have begun to pose a threat to humans. The vampire remains with the family, choosing a new master from Abraham's descendants when needed. For a brief period, only a few years, Victor was his master. Your uncles John and Paul served briefly as well; John for a few months, Paul for several years until his death. Arthur served for years, but was...incompatible with the vampire. The vampire refused to follow him further, and selected me, the last of Abraham's children, as its master."

And here, Beatrice's eyes, firm and terrible, held Claire to her seat, kept her mouth shut against the protests of disbelief she so wanted to voice. "And so I came to Hellsing, leaving my own home, to serve as Master to the Monster. Normally, I would also have taken over leading Hellsing, but we considered that unwise." A faint twitch of her mouth showed the bitter humour she felt for this situation.

"We do not think your children will be suitable to control the monster, but it is possible that, when they are able to meet and interact with him as they mature, they may develop the traits needed. If so, they would be in line to be Hellsing's heirs. They will also be exposed to the troops as they return from the war, from practice on the firing range to late-night musters for a hunt. They'll certainly see the vampire in his true form, rather than the forms they are familiar with." Beatrice paused then, taking a sip of iced water. "And you, too, will need to be familiar with this. And so we brought you here tonight."

"We will be introducing you to Hellsing's vampire tonight, as well as another permanent member of Hellsing." Claire's eyes flicked to the silent, handsome young man seated nearby. He wore a monocle, red scarring still healing about his eye, thick black hair hanging a bit too long about his face. And he gave off an almost violently predatory air. Was he the supposed vampire? It made sense, he certainly seemed more dangerous than the sleek young man cuddling against Beatrice.

"Walter, there, is our second vampire-killer. He was recruited by Hellsing when the vampire found him as a child in an...unfortunate...family setting, and noticed his potential. He's been with us now for over a decade, and is a very deadly hunter. Do not ever deliberately startle or surprise him, most especially at night, if he has just returned from a hunt." Walter smiled at her, the smile softening the planes of his face.

"It's not that big a risk, truly. But I am armed after a hunt, and my reflexes are a bit faster than my mind sometimes. And if my adrenaline is up, it does have the potential to go poorly. No one has ever been hurt, but there was a close call last year, so please accept our advice. I'd dread being responsible for injuring a member of the family, so if you should ever encounter me after a hunt and somehow approach me without my noticing, please get my attention before moving close." His smile warmed his eyes, and Claire wondered how the slight, albeit tall, young man could truly be that dangerous. He caught that thought, no matter how well veiled her disbelief was, and simply smiled wider. "Once you've learned the basics of Hellsing, I'd be happy to give a demonstration."

Alucard chuckled slightly, and Claire turned to look at him. He was watching Walter with a fond, warm look, but a little bit of challenge was there, too. A slight grin formed on his features, and he spoke for the first time since they'd been seated. "Always a bit of a showoff, hmmm, Angel?"

Beatrice chuckled and ruffled his hair, then caught Claire's eyes. "And now, time for you to meet the vampire. Vampires have pale skin and unusual eyes. Our vampire has red eyes, alabaster skin, and black hair when in his usual form. You've never seen that form, but you have met another form he has taken." She looked steadily a Claire, then said calmly. "I told you that the vampire being hunted by my father was called Dracula. Please spell Dracula in reverse." Claire blinked at her, then moved her gaze down to the young man, Alucard, at her feet.

Two red eyes set above a lolling red tongue met her own eyes, bright against the thick black coat of the dog her children had been playing with earlier that day.

x x x x x

Alucard was somewhat impressed. While obviously frightened, she did not faint, did not swoon, did not fall into any sort of hysterics or denials of what she had just seen. She simply took a solid drink of the scotch, leaned back in her chair, and stared at him. He could hear her heart race, but that was all. Solid British stock, and Victor would never have chosen a weak-willed or silly woman as a wife, not after the examples of Mary, Beatrice, Mina, and Constance! Even so, her composure and self-control were impressive.

Everyone was very surprised when she finally spoke. Her words, though clearly forced out past a throat tight with fear, were clear and unintimidated. "And what do you look like as a vampire?" directed straight at the vampire! He was thoroughly impressed. Alucard twisted his head back, peering up at Beatrice, waiting for permission. At her nod, he changed form, glad to be free of that innocuous human persona, and back to his own self. A glance at Claire showed him wide eyes, but no terror...and a trace of curiousity with her fear. Beatrice had been right; her daughter-in-law was certainly a good choice for this full welcome into the family. Perhaps her own children might age into acceptable candidates?

Content, he closed his eyes, leaning back against his Master. Let the humans work this out now, decide how to introduce him to the children, teach Claire about the Institute in more detail. Right now, Beatrice was scratching through his hair, and it felt absolutely wonderful.

Eyes closed in bliss, he missed the utterly shocked look that finally crossed Claire's face as the sound of the rumbling purr reached her. 


	40. 1951 Epidemic

*A bird flu was in Europe, Canada, etc. in 1951. It was virulent, deadly, and took a major toll on the population. With so many people in one place, Hellsing manor would be a ripe breeding ground. All it would take is one sick soldier having breakfast in the kitchen to get all the soldiers ill, and a single maid or butler to carry the illness throughout the home.*

1951 Epidemic

It seemed like everyone was sick. Beatrice, no longer strong to begin with, was extremely ill, and her three grandchildren were coughing and rasping as well. Arthur, too, was in bed, had been bedridden for days. Walter was staying isolated from the rest of the household and had taken over leading what troops were healthy; the flu had gone through the troops like lightning. Alucard worried and fretted; it was as bad as when Abraham had been so sick, and there was nothing he could do.

He and Claire remained healthy; Claire seemed to have had only a light touch of this flu and was one of the first to succumb, and after a week, she had recovered most of her energy and strength. Alucard was a vampire, entirely immune to such afflictions. Between the two of them and a small handful of remaining, healthy staff members, they heated soup, brought medicines such as penicillin and decongestants, changed bedding, and did their best to help the ill members of the household through this.

But the flu of 1951 was terrible, as bad as the Spanish Influenza had ever been. At first, Alucard had hoped that all the new medicines, the pills and syrups and oxygen tanks, all that would keep everyone safe. But soldiers in the barracks died. A maid and a butler in the household had been on the verge of dying yesterday, and he suspected they had already passed on. And now, his family was ill.

Alucard was entirely frantic with his fear, and neither Walter nor Claire had the energy or the Hellsing link to soothe him. He worked tirelessly, even when the sun was high in the sky, his frame wasting away and his face becoming pale and lined. Doctors were called for, but with the flu ravaging its way across Europe, they were already far too busy in the hospitals to wait hand-and-foot on a family of nobles, no matter how wealthy and how ill. The Hellsing doctors, responsible for the soldiers, were themselves ill, able to prescribe treatment plans in between their wet and racking coughs, but unable to do much themselves. And Alucard's family was dying.

Beatrice was at best semi-concious, but Arthur remained lucid, his fever not spiking so high as hers. He was younger, healthier, tougher in many ways, and while the flu killed the young, the tough, the healthy, it had not killed him. And he seemed to be recuperating. And, lying in his bed, too weak to move, he observed the frantic care Alucard provided to his family, even to Arthur himself. The vampire was clearly wearing himself out, and Arthur wondered when the last time he had eaten actually was.

He didn't know if the vampire would take orders from him anymore, but with Beatrice so ill, someone needed to direct Alucard. And so, his whispered summons brought the vampire to his bed, fidgeting and worried.

"Alucard. Take a few minutes, and eat. This is an order. I want at least two bottles of blood in you. Then return." Alucard glared at him, ready to protest the order, but the common sense of it and Arthur's concern penetrated the immediate, instinctive rebellion. He stopped himself in the middle of a hiss, blinked, and then vanished. Arthur was pleased to see the vampire return only a few minutes later, already looking better, but still entirely exhausted.

"You're wearing yourself out, Alucard. I think," and here he had to pause for a prolonged coughing fit, "it would be best to combine the people you are caring for into a few single rooms, saving you time and effort. I can certainly be moved. I suspect the children may as well, although from what I have been told, Beatrice should not be."

His calm and...caring?...gaze rested on the vampire. "We can also move your coffin in with us. I know you are not sleeping, but if you are in the room next to one of us, I'm sure we can wake you as needed." Alucard simply stared at him, too tired to truly think. "You're exhausted, monster. You're beginning to make simple mistakes, and you must sleep. Help move us together, then bring your coffin and place it nearby. You'll do us no good if you pass out halfway between two beds or are too tired to remember what you were doing between one step and the next. You've been incredibly helpful, allowing our domestic staff to care for the other ill staff members and their own families, but even you need rest."

The vampire blinked, even in his fatigue sensing the value in what Arthur had said. It wasn't long before beds from the children's rooms had joined the larger bed in Beatrice's room and in Arthur's room. Supplies were consolidated onto two tables, and the coffin placed directly beside Beatrice's bed. Arthur wished to do more, but he was simply too tired himself. He'd given the vampire what directions he could, made sure it was eating and sleeping itself, and fatigue and illness pulled him down into sleep.

He sincerely hoped Alucard had found time to catch a nap in his coffin, the short naps he'd taken in Beatrice's bed were clearly nowhere near sufficient. But he himself was recovering, and in a day or so he could join Alucard and what healthy staff members there were in nursing the family back to health. He just prayed that his aunt would recover. She was on oxygen, a tube running to her nose, and an IV in her arm providing nutrients she was unable to eat. He'd been unable to visit her for days, but the reports he had received were far from reassuring.

And if she didn't make it, God only knew what Alucard would do.

With that troubling thought, fatigue reached up with its claws and drug him down into nightmares. 


	41. Limits

*This from a prompt by Prowlersgirl*

Limits

He'd given everyone a dose of cough syrup. The soup bowls were collected and taken to the kitchen, and a new pan of soup waited over a portable heater. Warm broth and cold water were replenished, medicine counted and measured out for the next dose. Beatrice's oxygen tank had been replaced with a fresh one, and he'd changed the glucose bag as per the doctor's instructions.

As Arthur had commanded (which still ruffled him), he'd moved the beds around. Beatrice's grandson and Arthur were sharing one room, Beatrice and the granddaughters the other room. He'd wedged his coffin in between her bed and the wall, but had yet to have a chance to crawl into it for the nap he was craving. The timer buzzed, and Alucard blinked muzzily, realizing it was time to check fevers. This influenza was causing body temperatures to raise to dangerous levels, and he had been warned by the doctors to keep a close eye on the numbers. Ice packs waited in the freezer should anyone's temperature begin to climb above 103 despite the medicines.

Beatrice's grandson blinked up at him, his eyes familiar to Alucard, and for a dazed moment it was young Beatrice looking up at him instead, and she was fighting off a cold herself as a child. The moment passed, and instead it was the tired lad looking at him. Alucard placed the thermometer under his tongue, relieved to see that it once again stopped at 101. He gave the child a reassurring pat, then turned to get the cloth and alcohol to wipe the thermometer down.

The room kept turning, and he was vaguely aware that for some reason, someone had turned out all the lights.

x x x x x x

Walter rushed upstairs at the summoning buzz. It had replaced the old-fashioned bell system for communicating with servants before he'd even joined Hellsing, and the outdated system was being stressed to its limits the last few weeks. But that buzz was from Arthur's room, and Walter tumbled out of his bed to hurry to Arthur, fearing the worst. It was barely 3 am, the clock ticking away and telling him that, even though this was Alucard's shift, Arthur needed him.

Oh, God. Beatrice?

x x x x x x x x

It was only a few moments later that a concerned and very careful Walter was lowering the unresponsive, exhausted vampire into his coffin.

Even Alucard had his limits. And tonight, he'd found one of them. 


	42. Lost

*Warning, tear jerker ahead*

Lost

So much, he had lost so much.

His Lucy...his three children. Sarah. Mina. Then, his home, his lands, his Romani. Given up willingly, but still gone, gone.

Worth it for Abraham, who was gone. So was Mary. Victor was gone, too. Paul, Paul had left him. Winters, Seward, Holmswood. Gone. Quincy, barely known, gone so very long.

So much gone. Always worth it, though. Always a new Hellsing, willing to be Master, making him a part of their family, even grudgingly. And sometimes...Beatrice, Arthur, Paul, even John with his fright, lovingly a part of his family.

But so much lost. So much gone to time. He didn't know how much more loss he could bear.

The vampire huddled by Beatrice, tears rolling unheeded down his face, listening to her heart race and struggle. 


	43. Fading

*Be warned, these few chapters are NOT going to be fluffy...*

Fading

Arthur woke up, feeling tired, but no longer immobilized. He hurt, but not like he had, not even close. Time to try getting out of his bed. He twisted, placing his feet on the floor, waiting. Slight dizziness, no real vertigo, and with a push, he was standing again.

He found it humorous that standing was an accomplishment, but it was time to check on his family. His nephew was sleeping soundly, color good, and an empty bowl by the bed showed that his appetite was back. They'd talked briefly yesterday and Arthur was confident he would recover. Beatrice, though...Arthur worried.

Entering the women's room, he found both his nieces also in stages of recovery. Neither one looked healthy, but both were awake and smiling when he entered. Beatrice slept, and from the coffin beside her, a thin white hand had reached up, clutching the sleeve of her gown. Aunt Beatrice did not look well, not at all. Her face was pale but for two fever-flushed spots on her cheeks, and she shone with sweat. Her breaths were fast, shallow, and every so often a faint gurgle could be heard.

Worried, Arthur immediately pressed the call button, summoning what medical staff they were able to keep.

x x x x x x

It was several minutes before the harried nurse appeared, and after a quick glance at Beatrice and a moment to take pulse and temperature, the nurse was gone as well. The doctor she returned with listened briefly to Beatrice's lungs.

Pneumonia. Not an unexpected secondary infection, but unfortunate. Beatrice was worn and tired even before falling ill, well past her fiftieth birthday, and even her stout personality had taken a beating with the tragic loss of her son. She'd fallen very ill to the flu, which attacked everyone without pity, even the healthy and stout, and now...pneumonia.

A dose of penicillin was added to her IV, along with extra vitamins. The doctor expressed hopes that this would assist in her recovery, but Arthur held out little hope. He'd seen a half-dozen household members die from this disease already, from hunters to a maid, from a child to a grandfather, and Beatrice looked far too like the ones that had not made it.

A quick check on the girls and his nephew and the doctor announced them to be recovering, needing only rests and fluids at this point. With that, Arthur moved them out of Beatrice's room and into one of the spare rooms nearby. He did not want them in there while she was dying, and had no energy or strength to move their beds himself.

x x x x x

Arthur had gone to find something more filling than mere soup, and when he returned with his sandwich, the vampire was already awake and watching Beatrice. At first glance, he looked like a vulture, stooped and waiting over its prey for the last breath to leave the body so he could feast, and Arthur shuddered slightly. Then the scene rearranged itself in his mind, and he could see the desperate focus Alucard had on his Master.

"Alucard." The red eyes flicked towards him, acknowledging, then back to Beatrice. Arthur truly hated doing this, but it had to be done. "Alucard, we need to talk."

"So talk." Alucard's words snapped out, more than a hint of a growl lingering behind them, and his shoulders hunched even more, visibly tensing.

"Alucard...your Master is very ill, and we both know this. If she should make it through this illness, she won't last forever. I know that you will not accept me as a Master; I've seen how lovingly Beatrice treated you, and I cannot do that. But I also know how fond you are of her grandchildren. Are you able to accept any of them? Josephine's daughters? Any of the family? What about in a few years?"

The red glow of eyes blazed at him, the vampire furious, and for a moment Arthur believed the creature might attack him. But then the blaze died down to a sullen glow, and Alucard answered. "None of them. They are good people, but none would stand up to me. I'd control them, not they me, and the bond would weaken." Red eyes stared coldly at Arthur. "I would prefer insanity than to slave myself to someone weak and easily manipulated. I will follow someone who is a worthy leader. The Hellsings now are good people, but not leaders; they do not have the fire and confidence to stand up against me, nor the skill to make me confident enough to follow them."

And then he did something unexpected; Alucard and Beatrice had been...plotting?

"Master and I realized this during the war. We've been working to create a new binding, one that will allow me to bond to a non-Hellsing, to access most of my powers quickly without the decades of effort the Hellsings needed. We're most of the way there, and Walter has been helping, but it's not complete, not yet. Beatrice and I have put much time and effort and energy into this work, and..." here, the eyes dimmed, flashing with grief, "I think Master hid from me just how much she was putting into those spells. She should not have been so physically depleted, I think her efforts to keep me from going Masterless have weakened her too much." Tears rolled down the white cheeks again, and Arthur moved to the beast's side.

He didn't speak, just pulled Alucard close and held him. He should have done this a thousand times as Master, and he never had. He was not Master now, but he was a Hellsing...and he'd finally realized Alucard was family. "The binding isn't complete yet, is it?" His soft voice pulled an answer from the monster, a simple shake of its head. He rested his head on Alucard's, his hand rubbing reassurring circles on the beast's back. "Then we'll just have to make certain that Beatrice is around a very long time to come, won't we?"

It was probably foolish, with his own body so weakened right now, but Arthur knew Alucard, and while the monster might trust him no more than he trusted it, it was the one entirely unquestionable source of comfort and proof of his love for his family's monster that he could offer. As always, there was a small scalpel in the drawer by Beatrice's bed, a staple for almost every Hellsing. Alucard looked surprised at the offering, but accepted the proferred bloody finger with a calm gratitude.

Arthur could feel the monster relaxing against him, as they held their quiet vigil by the bed of the Master of the Monster. 


	44. Loss

*Finally, an update and an end to the Beatrice storyline. Who DOES Alucard choose next? Thanks everyone for the reviews and updates on the four stories in this thread (Awaken, Renewal, Succession, and Unexpected) and the people that took a few minutes to respond to Teamwork, too. It keeps me writing, thank you all!*

Loss

Beatrice had surprised Arthur with the ferocious strength with which she clung to her life. Any day, he expected to find that she had passed on. Her breath rattled and she strained to take each lungful of air in, no matter how shallow. Her body burned with fever, despite an IV full of antipyretics and penicillin, and the pneumonia in her lungs stole many of those desperate breaths to waste in gurgling, unproductive coughing.

Her always-slender body had become too thin after the war and her son's loss. But this illness had worn it away even further; she was paper-thin skin and prominent bones and fever, all wrapped in her iron will. She fought now, but Arthur was aware that it was not a fight to recover but simply a fight to live one more day, one more hour, one more minute.

And the fight was conducted under the blood-red gaze of Alucard. Arthur pushed food on him, adding his own blood to the bottle despite his own convalesence, drawing small amounts from Beatrice's children too, using the Hellsing blood to bribe the monster into eating. He was losing his aunt. His own parents, Rachel and Robert Harker, had come by as they could but Alucard clearly made his father very nervous, and he'd been unwilling to remain.

Rachel had added her own blood to the donations for the vampire, had taken time to hold him, rock him, and soothe him. She was only a few years younger than Beatrice herself, and Arthur worried for her own health when she placed her body by that of his very ill aunt. But Rachel worried for Alucard; she'd taken the offer of safety at Hellsing during WW2, but had not had the opportunity to interact with the vampire since.

And what she saw worried her. The vampire was nothing like the playful, silly beast she knew, nor the deadly and vicious predator that occasionally surfaced. He was protective, but all his emotional energy was focused entirely on Beatrice. And Rachel could do nothing for him but offer him a shoulder to weep on and a bit of blood. She could sit beside him during his vigil, but the vampire wasn't even aware that she existed.

Rachel was not at all a potential Master, and she knew it; but she still hurt for the creature she loved. John sent his condolences, but even the passage of years had not entirely eased his discomfort around the vampire, and he was unwilling to visit. His letter to Arthur expressed his fear of what Alucard would do when Beatrice passed; he clearly felt there was a chance that the vampire would go mad and slaughter the household. Arthur thought he might as well; Beatrice's loss would likely break the vampire, never very stable to begin with. He thought it far more likely the vampire would simply collapse.

When Beatrice died that evening, her breath gurgling out and none entering it, there was a pause. The vampire stared at Beatrice, face frozen, and a tense minute ticked past. Then Alucard simply howled, grief and loss and damage and pain too intense for words.

He collapsed on the floor, red eyes staring at nothing. Arthur carefully placed him in his coffin, then, after a pause, reached up to close those staring eyes. The vampire would shut them, but they would be dry, painful, and Arthur could at least prevent THAT hurt.

And then he closed Beatrice's eyes, removed the oxygen mask from her face, smoothed the blankets and her hair, making her as presentable as he could out of respect for the great pride and dignity she'd shown...and called the doctor to fill out the death certificate.

x x x x x x x

The vampire had remained in his coffin, uncommunicative and immobile, seeming dead himself, while Walter and Arthur called the family and arranged the funeral. Arthur could pour blood into his mouth, and an eventual reflexive swallow would occur, but the vampire was dead to the world. Even Walter, as close to the vampire as any Hellsing, could not cause even an eyelid to so much as twitch. Worry for Alucard ate at Arthur as he arranged the funeral, the vampire's absence noted by the very worried Hellsings. Rachel, John, Beatrice's grandchildren, Paul and Josephine's children and grandchildren, all the assorted family familiar with Alucard, asked after him. Some knew him as no more than a distant family member, but everyone knew of his attachment to Beatrice to some extent and worried.

Those who knew him as the vampire and part of their close family gathered about his coffin, holding his hand, speaking to him, urging him to open his eyes and speak with them. And the vampire simply lay there, slowly fading away. The blood Arthur had managed to get into him over the last few days was not enough, and he seemed faded, hair lacking the luster and gloss, lines in his formerly smooth skin.

x x x x x x

When everyone had left, returning to their homes with instructions to notify them immediately should anything change, Arthur returned back to the vampire's coffin. He and Walter carefully lifted it, taking Alucard back down to the cold and quiet rooms he preferred and away from the scene of his loss. Even as the coffin settled back into its accustomed position, the vampire remained lifeless.

x x x x x

When Arthur brought Alucard a meal the next evening, the coffin was open. The vampire was easily located after the sudden flash of both hope and fear; he was huddled into the corner away from the doorway. Blood streaked his cheeks, his knees were pulled up to his chin, and his teeth were sunk into a forearm where it crossed his knees. But the eyes were clenched shut, and Alucard did not respond.

Arthur gently pried the arm frmo the vampire's mouth, then carried him to the coffin, the formerly limp vampire now vibrating with a frightening tension. It was a matter of moments before the vampire was settled back into his coffin, but the food was still refused. Pondering, Arthur left the vampire briefly, returning with the stack of diaries from his time as Alucard's master. He doubted he'd find anything useful in them, but just maybe reading them would trigger a memory or an idea. In any case, he wasn't about to leave the vampire alone at night. Should Alucard awake, he'd need a Hellsing or Walter present. And Walter was handling the basics of running the estate while Arthur watched Alucard.

x x x x x x x

Had he really thought that? Eyes widened in shock at the callow insensitivity of his younger self, Arthur stared at Alucard. Dear God, the way he'd casually refered to his "monsters" was simply abhorrent. Alucard was a manipulative and untrustworthy bastard, yes, but Walter had just been a kid. And Alucard had tried to love him, no matter how cold he'd been to the poor vampire. He read over passages where, with his mature and adult eyes and experience, it was clear that he'd been mercilessly cold to the vampire and Alucard had been in pain. Deaths of family friends...Godalming, Winters, Seward...he hadn't given the vampire any support at all, had reprimanded him for not eating properly. A repetition of dates of Alucard being exceptionally obstinate caught his eye, and he realized with a shock that those dates were the anniversary of Abraham's death. And he'd never noticed.

It was a much more somber Arthur that found his bed after sunrise.

x x x x x x x x

Alucard woke again, fighting back the voices with enough energy to take a few moments to see his surroundings. He'd simply let them scream at him, too emotionally exhausted to commit the atrocities they longed for. He didn't WANT to be aware of anything, anything at all, and fought for his sleep and unconsciousness with the only energy he put towards anything.

He'd been aware, vaguely, of the Hellsings about him. Disappointments, all of them, and lucky he hadn't ripped them apart for intruding on his grief. Someone had fed him, he knew he'd received some blood at some point or another. But now, he wanted to see where he was, more of a distraction and something to do than anything else. He was considering insanity, and wondered idly if this deliberately immobility and vague drifting was part of that already.

But even detached, he'd been aware of some sort of change. And curiousity, even dulled as it was under the weight of his grief, sparked him to fight back from the inertia and drifting and back to awareness.

He was out of the basement. He knew he'd been there. He had a vague memory of leaving his coffin, searching for Beatrice, of fighting not to scream, muffling the whimpers that fought their way from his throat, finally succeeding in driving himself back into the vague empty void. But he was out of the basement, yes. Lights danced on his eyelids, the air was warm, its faint movement against his skin obvious. A radio crackled somewhere.

And much, much closer, a heart beat. A tentative inhalation showed him BLOOD. Eyes cracked open, and he realized that he was being gently rocked.

x x x x x x

Arthur was exhausted. He'd crawled into bed well past dawn each day, woken in the afternoon to conduct what business was required, and then arrived in the basement well before dark to read through an endless stack of diaries and notes on the vampire, trying to find some way to help him. Tonight, he'd given up on that, taken a break after nearly a week of fruitless effort and watching the vampire fade.

Instead, he'd carried Alucard upstairs to his office. Seated in Beatrice's rocking recliner, he'd watched the stars outside, the clouds drifting across and regularly covering and uncovering them. It was peaceful, quiet. Beside him, a little tray of sandwiches and some juice. And he'd settled the vampire in his lap, unwilling to leave him alone, wrapped in a soft blanket in the position that the vampire had craved and rarely gotten when he served Arthur.

It was too late now. But Arthur knew that if the vampire was at all aware, it might soothe him, let him know that he was loved and cared for. After awhile, he realized that he'd placed Alucard's head close to his throat. Perhaps...he could try and bring the vampire out of this desolate loss... If it didn't work, well, he'd simply have a small scar. He rang for Walter, and after a few minutes, had a scalpel and a small, slowly dripping cut on his neck.

Alucard's head was next to it, nose just above the wound, mouth nearly resting on it. Arthur knew that if he wasn't so tired himself, so out of options, he'd be laughing at himself for his foolishness. An hour passed, and he found himself drifting to sleep with the cold, still vampire motionless in his lap.

And then he'd woken, suddenly aware that the cold lips were now on his neck, not merely resting on it, and Alucard was sucking gently at the cut. Surprised, Arthur froze, then arranged Alucard a bit more comfortably, allowing him to continue to feed on the tiny trickle.

It was with a sense of absolute shock that he felt the vampire's mind touch his. There was equal shock as Alucard's chill mental fingers drifted through his surface thoughts...and then settled comfortably in place.

The vampire nuzzled briefly at his throat again, then licked his cut closed and healed. With a soft murmur of "Master," the vampire was once again asleep, but this time, a true, restful sleep of recuperation.

It was a very long time before Arthur was able to pull himself together and look down at what was now, once again, his charge. 


	45. Reiteration

*I was stuck on a title for this, so it's fairly random. It does mean to "repeat" which with Arthur was appropriatee! Thanks all for the reviews!*

Reiteration

Alucard had explained to him, as he could, about vampires and grief. It was a stilted explanation, something obviously too intense and personal to translate easily into the structured letters and syllables of language.

And yet, also easily communicated by expression and action. Arthur had found the vampire dogging his steps, even in the bright afternoon sunlight. He'd left the vampire sleeping in his office while he went on a short trip to the washroom, and returned to find Alucard half-awake, halfway to the door, and looking, of all things, frightened. The vampire was unnerved by being apart from Arthur, and while he willing admitted it was silly of him, he hovered and clung nonetheless. Arthur had moved the coffin back upstairs, locking it into his closet, aware that the only way he was going to get Alucard to sleep in it was to have it close by.

The vampire seemed to be coping with only an hour or so in his coffin each day, but Arthur suspected he'd have to be very firm about it soon and force the vampire into a solid day's sleep in its confines. It was hard to be stern with Alucard, though; with the restoration of their bond, he'd had over a full day of contact with the vampire's mind.

It was just as manipulative and self-centered as he remembered. But even in sleep, the vampire's grief resonated down their bond, his loss...and his concern and worry for his future with Arthur. But the bond weakened quickly, and before long Arthur was back to interpreting Alucard's emotions by his actions and lack of them. And sometimes, the emotions were visible on his face, such as the dazed fear when the vampire had woke to find himself alone, and Arthur missing.

He did not take well to being alone, at the very least insisting on keeping Arthur within earshot, and Arthur was annoyed by but accepting of the occasional feel of Alucard's mind touching his own as the vampire apparently reassured himself that this new master was healthy, nearby, and watching over the vampire.

And now Arthur had his meeting with the other Round Table members. And that meant leaving Alucard with Walter for the afternoon.

The vampire balked. He wept, he shouted, he snarled and hissed and paced and it culminated in an expensive piece of furniture flying through an expensive window. Arthur very nearly forced the bond onto Alucard then, nearly punished him for the insubordination and destruction.

But he was no longer just out of his teens. And wisdom held his hand from harming the vampire while he paused and truly looked at the situation.

The vampire looked dreadful...face twisted with powerful emotions, body shaking, gasping and panting for the air it no longer needed. And cringing in expectation of what Arthur was about to do to him, but still defiant.

Arthur arrived at the meeting almost on time. He'd delayed just long enough to force a bit of blood down the vampire to help restore the energy he'd burned through in his tantrum and the blood he'd wept out, and then they'd both left to go to the meeting together. The bat was a cold and solid lump in his pocket, but neatly concealed under his jacket; quiet, motionless, and entirely obedient now that he was with his Master.

And, thankfully, entirely invisible to the other members of the Round Table. And too deeply asleep to hear their condolences on the loss of Beatrice, a reminder that would have torn open the half-healed emotional wounds.

It was odd, having a sleeping monster against his leg while speaking with the Round Table. Alucard had told him that Abraham had sometimes brought him to meetings as well, and even Paul on one occasion, and had remained quiet and half-asleep for the entire meeting now for Arthur.

And Arthur had to admit, when the Lords droned on and on with their political bickering, it was relaxing to unobtrusively pet Alucard and feel the vampire stretching and nuzzling into his leg in pleasure. He was half-afraid the pocket would be worn through by the end of the interminable meeting...

and half-determined to bring the vampire along for all future ones! 


	46. Visitor

*This sat on my computer since Friday, waiting for me to log back onto this one and post it! So it's a little choppy...but still works! I just had to remember where I was heading with it! Thank you all again for the reviews!*

Visitor

It had become a standard of Arthur's life. While the vampire had settled down substantially and returned to his more solitary existence, Alucard still hated it when Arthur left the estate alone. Previously, Arthur supposed that having Mary or Beatrice or another Hellsing at the estate had kept Alucard calm.

But now, the closest thing to a Hellsing at the estate was Walter. And while Alucard was certainly fond of the young man, there was no Hellsing blood in Walter's veins and it was difficult for him to calm the vampire. And so, if Arthur was going to be gone for more than an hour or two, he usually woke the vampire and brought him along. He'd learned not to leave Alucard behind.

Instructions to remain in the house conflicted with his primary need to protect Arthur. And the vampire had shown up at the brothel, twisted in pain from breaking Arthur's rule, but accepting it. He'd later told Arthur that he'd have been in just as much pain if he'd thought his master was in danger but not been there to protect him. Manipulative though the vampire might be, Arthur recognized desperation and fear and within the beast and lifted the command to stay at the house immediately. It had taken a hefty bribe for the madam and the prostitute to ignore the tall man with the bloody eyes, though Alucard had taken a human appearance before pushing his way past the bouncer and into Arthur's room.

Arthur was more than a bit furious that his tryst was so rudely interupted. Instead of enjoying the feminine embrace of that lovely lady, he had a lap full of shaking, tense vampire. Eventually he was able to conclude the business he'd originally visited on. Alucard had certainly perked up enough by then to be aware that he was in a brothel...and a few of the ladies had expressed an interest in him.

Arthur didn't trust the vampire not to bite, and they'd had a bit of a quiet row over it. He did allow the vampire to "enjoy himself" but with some very strict restrictions on the allowable activity.

Even so, the vampire was smugly happy the entire trip home.

x x x x x x x

And the vampire continued to accompany Arthur to Round Table meetings. He'd wake the vampire after lunch, feed him, and then carry the bat in his pocket to the meeting. The vampire would sleep away the afternoon, usually soundly asleep but occasionally stirring, and then they'd return to the estate by dusk. The meetings rarely lasted more than a few hours; there would be reports on the latest that the spies knew, updates on troop strength and special training, the head of the diplomats would report on their information and the various other special protective services they led. Arthur would give his tally of what they'd killed, troops lost, troops recruited, and budget estimates. After Alucard's performance against the Nazi vampire program, there was no arguing about his necessity!

This particular meeting seemed entirely endless. A highly ranked spy for a supposedly friendly country had been identified...and killed, the body destroyed and buried beyond any discovery or identification. And now it turned out that the man might have been set up. The Round Table was working overtime trying to unravel and untangle the deceit before another innocent was destroyed, assuming the man had actually been innocent.

All of it was outside of Arthur's field of knowledge. Had the man been a magic practicioner, though more likely a charlatan, he would have valued input. Had the man disappeared in a mysterious way or had an unusual visitor, his skills and employees could be called in. But he didn't even know the man or any of his contacts, and the best he could do was offer a bit of advice when asked, take copious notes, and send out emergency missives and man the phone. Mostly, he sat and watched the bustle with another Round Table member that was equally out-of-touch with the current situation.

And the sun set, and the bat in his pocket stirred. Arthur worried a bit...but Alucard was warm and comfortable, likely perfectly happy where he was, and intelligent enough to be aware of what was occurring about him. And sure enough, the vampire remained quiet and still most of the night.

And another hour drug by. And Alucard began to get restless, stirring about and making it quite clear to Arthur that while he was willingly staying concealed for the time being, he was getting more and more displeased at the situation.

Damnation.

The vampire rarely used his telepathy; the skill was really only useful, he claimed, with Arthur. And it was tiring to engage for any prolonger period of time. He wasn't exerting himself this time around; there were no clear words, but Arthur was well aware of the irritated rumble he could hear without hearing. And the vampire had turned, crawling out of his pocket, though still hidden in the coat. For now. Arthur pushed him back down, and the vampire twisted and writhed about his fingers, climbing over them agilely and twisting his way back over his hand. Within moments, the vampire was inside his jacket, peeking out, though not visible to the others. Yet.

The vampire was curious, perpetually, almost childishly curious, and Arthur supposed it was only to be expected. Grumbling to himself at the necessity, he excused himself, going out to the balcony for some fresh air and a breeze...and to remove the vampire while he was out of sight of the others and unlikely to panic anyone.

The door clicked shut behind him and Arthur moved out the light that fell through its window, taking Alucard out entirely and placing him on the balcony railing. Within moments, a tall gangly vampire with bright, delighted red eyes and a wide grin was beaming at him.

"And I thought you weren't going to introduce me to any of the Lords?" His delighted cackle confused Arthur, who suddenly realized what had occurred...and turned to see a wide-eyed Lord, the other spare wheel at this meeting, who had apparently followed out immediately after him and was now staring at Alucard with a look somewhere between curiousity and pure terror.

Terror won. With a gulp, the man retreated back inside. Arthur glared at Alucard and had a few choice words for him, then returned to the crowd inside. They were waiting...and not happy.

x xx xx x xx

"Yes, he comes to meetings with me, as he came with Paul and with Abraham himself." "No, he is not always here." "Sleeping." "Because he's bonded to us, and you do not need to know the fine details of it." Meaning that he wasn't about to tell them that the vicious monster was emotional fragile and panicked when left alone, at least now while the bond was still relatively new. "In my pocket." Where you can't see him and he can't see you and you both feel safe. "On the roof, for now."

The fact that the vampire was gone was a relief, but then the voices raised about the concerns of having a man-eating monster loose on Buckingham grounds! Arthur explained, irritated that necessary matters of security were being ignored for paranoia about the vampire.

"Because it's quiet, out of sight, there's no one for him to encounter, and he can watch the stars and the goings-on about him. He's not allowed to leave the roof except to come directly to me. Should he try to disobey, I'll know immediately. But he's content up there, he can hear me," and wasn't THAT look of shock and fear on their faces entertaining? He felt a bit of vicious, almost vampiric glee himself at that. "and he's content. Would you rather have him in here?"

A veiled threat. Everyone quickly announced that they were quite content to have Alucard remain on the roof, and Arthur pushed them back towards the very serious business at hand. Damnation, but he hated politics, and the very serious nature of the current problem was only increasing his hatred of it. He DID need to be present; the decisions being made were of such importance that every member needed to be aware of and accountable for the fallout. And he spent the next few hours stressed and angry with the other Lords.

And unlike them, he was far too aware that Alucard was stretched comfortably on the roof, still radiating heat from the bright sun it had been exposed to all day. There was a warm breeze blowing, a clear sky, and a bright moon. And it was a novel thing for the vampire; a new place to be, new things to see, smell, and experience. For now, he was utterly content.

And Arthur was stuck on the phone, rousting yet another lesser Lord out of his bed, then calling another diplomat halfway around the world, and generally hating his job.

Alucard smiled, watching the bats swooping about under the lights, warm and content, and smiling even wider as he realized just how irritated Arthur was at the moment!  



	47. Vampires

It was a gremlin, a nasty bit of work in and of itself. They had a long species history of mild problem-causing and an absolute fascination with machinery and the many ways it could break. Most were simply a nuisance, but this particular one had a fascination with iron lungs and medical equipment. There had been several deaths among the most severely disabled polio victims at the hospital when they suffocated after their equipment malfunctioned. Months of repairment and replacements and work on the electrical systems had done nothing to stop the random deaths.

And then it had been seen by a roommate of a polio patient...and Hellsing had finally been called in.

Arthur had interviewed her during the day, asking her dozens of questions about the creature she'd seen, touring the facilities, and talking to the other residents and medical and maintenance staff. By the early afternoon, he was convinced. And when he woke up, Alucard had a job waiting.

x x xx x x x

It was, unfortunately, a very boring job. Gremlins were clever in a very specific way, pure geniuses at electrical mayhem and mechanical destruction, but not very good fighters. And while they were good at dodging human eyes, they weren't talented at all in hiding from a vampire. Alucard had caught it in the very room where it had been spotted that morning; it had come back to finish dismantling the pump on the iron lung.

And to his utter shock, his maw bloody from his little snack, the woman in the iron lung spoke to him.

He'd assumed she was unconcious, comatose. Humans were so frail, and that great machine wrapped around her body with its steady pumping and whooshing of air had caused him to assume that this one was dying. But those bright eyes were focused on him, and she wasn't the least bit terrified.

"So you got it. What was it?" Completely bemused red eyes blinked at her, and then she repeated her question, slightly louder and definitely more impatiently. He had the impression she'd have shouted at him if she could...but her volume was limited by her body's lack of response.

"A gremlin." She looked a bit puzzled, and he was bored...and intrigued. It was a female, after all... "They are fascinated by electrical systems and intricate machinery. The devices here attracted a gremlin, and its antics caused deaths." Red eyes looked complacently at the blood-streaked leg still in Alucard's hand. "I doubt it meant to kill people, but it didn't mind that they died." Figuring she hadn't screamed yet, he took a second to polish off his snack, sucking the blood out happily and then absorbing the tattered bit of flesh and bone that remained.

"What are you?" Alucard pondered this a bit before answering. After all, Abraham, and then Paul...even Victor...had given him strict rules about what he could say to people and how he should look when around them. Arthur...had been lax. He wasn't frightening her, she wasn't a guest that he had to appear human around...a few more moments of thought and consideration of the rules he was bound by, and then a grin.

"A vampire." She looked startled, but then launched into a series of questions, and he had a very entertaining half-hour or more chatting with the charming young lady before feeling the pull of his bond calling him back to his Master. That, and the irritated shouting he could hear through the walls and closed windows.

x x x x x x

Arthur was annoyed at the delay, but slightly mollified when Alucard confirmed he had killed the gremlin quickly. The man simply assumed, with Alucard's subtle implications to that effect, that the vampire had taken some time hunting the creature down, then dallied because he found things in the hospital to be interesting.

Arthur had ordered the hospital evacuated, after all. And all the mobile patients were certainly gone. But the ones in the iron lungs or with delicate machinery attached were not movable, not with only a few hours of notice, and they had remained behind with a handful of staff members watching over them. He had no idea that his vampire had spent the time with a young woman, no idea at all.

x x x x x x x x

The hospital was not far from the grounds. And Alucard was not leaving the grouns to hunt, to wander, to frighten people, nothing at all. And he'd been invited to visit that young lady again. She was well aware that the likelihood of contracting pneumonia or another illness and dying before she gained control of her breathing again was high, and the reality of her fragility lent her a calm and brave mentality. She was interested in the vampire, he seemed uninterested in harming her, and he was company. Intelligent, lively, interesting company. And every few days, he managed to sneak away from the estate and spend a bit of time chatting with her.

x x x x x x x x

Arthur noticed his vampire was...happier. Less moody. There was a decided lack of prickliness in the beast...a welcome change. He wasn't sure what brought it on; perhaps the change of seasons and longer nights? A new maid or other employee that had caught the vampire's interest? Perhaps he was finally recovering completely from Beatrice's loss? Maybe the vampire had found the last few hunts more interesting and challenging than he'd thought? In any case, it was pleasant, and it was nice to simply have the vampire sit with him and not try to irritate, only to quietly enjoy the company.

x x x x x

All good things must come to an end. Alucard found his young lady fevered and weakly coughing, her labored breathing now bubbling as well. She had an IV leading into the machine, and Alucard recognized with a sick dread the same chemicals that had been used when Beatrice was dying. Amanda was unconcerned, fighting for her life but accepting that it was probably over. She'd spent so many months in the hospital, trapped and bored and alone, that the end was not so dreadful as she had expected. She freely admitted to Alucard that the doctors had already asked if she wished for last rites or a minister or anything similar. She smiled sweetly...

"And what I wanted...was to see you one more time." A pause, longer. "I am very glad...you were able...to come again...and say goodbye."

Alucard was not about to give up that easily. He struggled with the rules that Arthur had imposed, searching for loopholes and rationales that would allow him to bend and even break them...and willing to take the pain that breaking them would entail.

x x x x x x x x

The sun rose, Alucard curled protectively around his new child, both resting safe in his coffin.

He wasn't entirely sure how Arthur would handle this...but it was so nice, so very nice. He purred sleepily, her soft hair brushing his chin. Another vampire...not alone...so nice. It felt right, her body already cooling, the skin already both softer and tougher, somehow DIFFERENT than a mere human's. The scent, the feel...it was all...right. So different from being near a human, and so very, satisfyingly...right. And with a touch of a wicked grin, he realized that having a second vampire might be just what it took for Arthur to recognize normal vampire behavior patterns!

He should worry, he should fret and wonder what his Master would do and think.

But he was simply too blissfully happy.

Within a few more moments, he was sleeping as soundly as his child. 


	48. Cherish the Moment

*I know, I know...no real action in this chapter, but I did want to move the story forward, if only a bit! Thank you for all the reviews!*

Cherish the Moment

The sun set, sinking slowly down, and Alucard's eyes opened at the same slow and steady rate. He simply lay there, revelling in the scent and touch of another vampire, a child of his own, again after so very long. Amanda continued to sleep, not unusual for a newborn as they changed and adapted to their new existence. He had another hour, possibly more, before she awoke completely. He ought to go tell Arthur that there was a second vampire at Hellsing, nervous as he was about the possible reactions. He ought to go get a few bottles of blood, having them ready for his child when she woke. He ought to go speak with Walter, letting him know about his child so she didn't end up sliced somehow if the other Hellsing hunter found her unexpectedly.

But that could all wait. Arthur and Walter weren't going anywhere, after all. She wouldn't be starving when she woke up, and he could fetch them a meal then. Instead, he dropped his head back down into her soft curls, resting a cheek on the gentle curve of her head, smiling and enjoying a peace and contentment he had not experienced in decades.

He'd known he was lonely. Claire and the children were long since gone, Arthur had none of his own, and Walter had grown from a child to a man, his life too busy to spend much time with the vampire. He hadn't realized just how lonely he had been...until a gentle inhalation brought with it the sweet, spicey, homely scent of another vampire, his own child.

Yes...everything else could wait. He'd waited too long for such a moment to not cherish his first waking with a child at his side, and he would extend the moment as long as he could. 


	49. First night

*I have several potential storylines for this, and I think I'm going to take it off in a slightly different direction than I'd planned initially. Thus, the long delay on finishing it! But this chapter does move it along, and I might even get a second one up tonight if I get all my papers graded in time!*

First night

Alucard ghosted through the wall, arriving in his Master's office, nervous and worried and still giddily happy about his child, to find that Arthur had guests. Irons and Penwood, the only two Lords that would consider visiting, and all of them half-drunk and Arthur more than half.

He restrained himself from hissing with a substantial effort, solidified, and glided forward. The two visiting guests were the first to notice him, and voices fell immediately silent as they watched the looming monster and his red-eyed gaze, currently fixed on Arthur.

Arthur noticed the silence, turning from his careful pouring of yet another drink to see Alucard with a look of surprise on his drunken, flushed face. "What're you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here." Voice reprimanding his vampire, he frowned, annoyed.

Alucard glared at his Master. "I had something rather important to speak with you about. Clearly, it will have to wait. In the meantime, you need to order more blood. A new delivery is needed tomorrow." A fanged flash of a smile, aware of how the visitors were receiving his news. "And make it a nice, big delivery." Thoroughly out of sorts, he took two steps and vanished through the wall. In the room for less than a single minute, and he'd left everyone flustered and silent. He smirked at that, but seethed slightly at the knowledge that when he needed to speak to Arthur, his master had gone and gotten drunk.

Then again, it wasn't the first time. And his daughter wasn't going anywhere.

Smirk fading into a pleased smile, he drifted back to his basement rooms and his waiting daughter. A short side trip to the kitchen netted him three bottles of blood, leaving a single meager bottle for the next evening. But he needed a full bottle tonight, maybe a bit more, after creating a child. And Amanda was a newborn, and likely to need a large meal, too!

They spent the night exploring the basement. As a vampire, Amanda was not content to simply stay hidden away in her room. Her curiosity, "nosiness" as Abraham had called it, was in full bloom. And so they wandered into many dark rooms, some of which he had not been in since his own exploration of his territory.

He was delighted, truly delighted with his child. Her humor bubbled to the surface, her playfulness tempted him to silliness himself. She'd been trapped in a motionless body for so long, and to suddenly find her ability to move, to walk, not only restored but amplified...she positively bounced down the halls. She was as amazed and ecstatic over her ability to walk as she was over her ability to see clearly in the pitch black of the rooms they traveled in, as she was over the sharpness of her ears, picking up the whispering traces of the men arguing far overhead.

Oh, she was a delight. And he'd honestly tried to tell Arthur about her. So he had her all to himself for another full night, no guilt and no worries. And with a grin, he helped her open dusty cupboards and closed-up rooms, snoop and peek and inspect as much of her new home as they could before the rising sun caused her to droop and yawn, and he carried his curly-haired child back to sleep soundly in the coffin. Yes, she'd need her own coffin...but he wasn't going to rush that, either.

Dawn found them curled back up together, smudged and dirty and smiling in their sleep. 


	50. Tit for Tat

*Another short chapter...or I wouldn't get them posted!*

Tit for Tat

Arthur woke, hungover and with a headache, a mouth tasting nastily of vomit, and a stomach that was at best rebellious and more aptly described as committing treason at the moment. Toast, water, a toothbrush, more water, a dose of mouthwash, more toast, a couple aspirin, and a shot of scotch, and he was feeling much more himself. And irritated, too.

He'd had to end the merrymaking early last night after the appearance of Alucard. The vampire hadn't been frightened, miserable, or expressed any sort of behavior that would have excused his interuption. He'd been fine, a right smug bastard, and perfectly pleased about interupting the party, too. Thank god the hookers hadn't shown up, he'd never have gotten another set of girls from that house.

Blood, Alucard had said he needed to order more blood. There were four bottles left, how the hell did he go through them already? With a tired shrug, Arthur figured the vampire probably spilt them somehow, or maybe one had gone bad. A staggering walk to the kitchen and the vampire's refrigerator showed that, indeed, only a small bottle was left. He was too tired and sick to deal with figuring out where the blood had gone right now, but did have the butler order another delivery. A large one, too. He remembered Alucard saying something about that.

Lunch passed, Arthur wisely limiting himself to soups and breads, and not so wisely, to a bit more alcohol, trying to take the edge of his headache. Oh, he had overindulged far too much last night. By late afternoon, he'd decided on a bit of revenge against his interfering monster.

The vampire hated having his coffin touched. Absolutely hated it. And it irked him to no end when he found that Arthur was in his rooms while he slept. And he tried very, very hard not to let Arthur know just how much it bothered him.

A wicked grin crept across Hellsing's face. He'd play stupid, then, and go wake the vampire up or at least open the coffin to "check and see if he was awake yet." And of course the vampire wouldn't be, so he'd just sit and wait until the monster did wake up. The sun was nearly set, he'd have to hurry or his beast WOULD be awake before he got this set up.

The vampire existed to annoy him. Sometimes, it was good to get a bit of his own back...

With a grin, bottle of scotch in one hand and flashlight in the other, Arthur slipped through the hidden office doorway and headed towards Alucard's room. 


	51. Busted

*Another short one, but at least I'm getting them written and up! Thanks for the reviews on the first one tonight; it got me to crank out some additional chapters!*

Busted

Arthur sat down heavily on Alucard's chair, staring blankly at the open coffin and its occupants. Occupants. Two of them. Absolutely filthy, too. He let his mind wander on wondering about how they got so filthy, attempting to distract himself from the fact that there were now two vampires in his house.

Alucard, he controlled. Alucard was family. He didn't worry about Alucard hurting him or attacking staff. But this new vampire...she wasn't bound to him. Oh, Hell. This could be so very bad.

He rose, tottering over on shock-numbed legs to look back into the coffin.

Young. She seemed young, late teens, her mop of brown hair curling and cut short and stylishly. Where the devil had Alucard found her? And, his anger mounting as he thought about it, how the devil had his vampire managed to find her, kill her, and sneak her home?

No wonder the beast had been so much more even-tempered lately. He'd had company.

Arthur wanted to stake them both, then and there. It'd just piss Alucard off but it'd turn that little tramp with him into dust, no doubt. But...she was young. And pretty, too. And they looked happy...peaceful. It was a deliberate pose vampires took when they slept, hoping that their peaceful, content expressions would give a possible killer pause.

But he'd seen Alucard sleeping before, and the vampire didn't bother with faking a harmless appearance. And he looked truly content, absolutely happy, wrapped around that...that...other vampire.

Hadn't Alucard had a child before? He remembered something in those journals of Abraham's. And as he watched them sleep, his brain breaking free from its frozen shock, he remembered. Sarah. Abraham had let Alucard have a child before, and she had attacked one of the residents...and Alucard had killed her.

Oh, what to do, what to do. He didn't want to kill her, really. But he most certainly didn't want another vampire in the house, and Alucard's other child had been dangerous. Was this why Alucard had come into the office last night to speak with him?

The minutes ticked past, as Arthur thought things through. He simply didn't have enough information. He needed to know how the bastard had managed to find a woman to change; she certainly hadn't been working on the estate, and he hoped to hell it wasn't a soldier's little sister. He needed to know if she posed a risk, if she'd been changed willingly, what Alucard planned, how long the bastard had been hiding his child away from Arthur, and...he needed to read what had occurred with Abraham and the first child.

No, he wouldn't kill her immediately, though he suspected it would be necessary. That damned vampire. Things begin to run smoothly again, everyone seems happy, and then he goes and throws a spanner in the works.

Then again...she WAS quite pretty. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all?

Taking another sip from his bottle, he sat quietly, watching his vampire, vampires? and waiting for them to waken.

Oh, he intended to have some very loud words for Alucard when he woke up. And he just hoped to Hell this wasn't going to go as badly as he feared. 


	52. Busted pt 2

*So, does he let her live...or not? :)*

Busted 2

To say this was difficult for Alucard would be an understatement.

He'd awoken, relaxing comfortably with his child, enjoying her presence and the peace and security he felt, only to realize that there was a heartbeat outside his coffin. A moment of panic, and a cautious sniff, and he realized it was Arthur. Uncertain, he hesitated, then felt his child begin to stir.

He put his finger on her lips, shushing her while she blinked away, and feeling a touch of guilt and another stab of fear as the peaceful warm red of her gaze changed to a look of worry and fear, quickly replaced by the utter trust a child felt for its master. Oh, he hoped he'd warrant that trust. But he'd been found out, and this situation was most definitely not to his choosing.

Delay would not help. Bracing himself, forcing a look of calm onto his features, he slid the lid aside and sat up to see a very angry Master, seated in his chair, and clearly not the least bit happy.

"Start from the beginning, and you damn well better not leave anything out." Arthur snapped this at him. Alucard hadn't exactly expected a "Good evening" but the suppressed fury in Arthur's voice caused him to wilt a bit. Amanda sat beside him, and while he organized his thoughts, he took a moment to wrap his great red coat around them both. She settled against his side, curious eyes on Arthur, clearly wondering what was occurring and who Arthur was. Most likely Alucard's Master; but Alucard spoke fondly of him, and this person did not seem the sort that Alucard would be fond of.

"I killed the gremlin at the hospital and Amanda was in the room, awake but in an Iron Lung. I stayed to talk with her and she asked me to return. For the last few weeks, when there was no hunt and I was lonely, I would go to visit her. We were both lonely and we enjoyed speaking with each other." A pause, as Alucard watched Arthur's face darken, and he deduced the reason. Well, A reason! "I was careful never to be seen by the other residents and they had not put another patient in her room. We did nothing but talk. She had polio and was unable to move or to be taken out of her machine." A slight shrug. "She was good company, she was lonely in the ward with no roommate and no visitors, and I saw no harm in visiting her."

Arthur scowled, and to Alucard's concern took a hefty drink of his scotch. "And you didn't tell me about this, why?"

A faint look of worry on Alucard's face. He was not trying to hide his emotions from Arthur; doing so simply convinced the man he was lying. "I didn't want to stop seeing her and I knew you might forbid it. I believed that if you knew all the information, you would let me see her. But if you made a quick decision, I might not be able to. And I did not want to risk it."

Arthur had to admit the vampire was likely correct. Even if he had all the facts, he'd still have forbidden the vampire, it was simply too risky. And he'd have been right, too; after all, Alucard had killed the woman and turned her into a vampire. Fortunately, she didn't seem aggressive, just leaning against Alucard and watching the proceedings with wide, worried eyes. She seemed polite, too, not interupting although it looked like she'd wanted to do so for a brief moment.

With a nod, he indicated the vampire should continue.

"I went back to see her two nights ago, and she was dying." Arthur's skeptical look spurred the vampire onwards. "She was not breathing well, and she had the same drugs that Beatrice had, and she sounded like Beatrice did when she died." The vampire's bleak look struck a note in Arthur's heart. He raised a hand, and the vampire stopped, turning to hold his daughter tightly.

Damnation. He knew how much Bea's loss had affected Alucard. And the vampire was not what he'd consider stable. A second female (and he had to admit she had a more than passing resemblance to the pictures of Beatrice as a child) that his vampire was fond of, dying the same way his Master had, but this time Alucard could "save" her...

Damn, damn, damn.

"And?" Alucard had gone silent, face buried in the hair of his child, holding her tightly. It stirred pity in Arthur, but the fact remained that Alucard had created another vampire.

With obvious effort, the vampire released his child and continued. "And we'd already talked about my being a vampire, what it meant, my history, and more. I had never intended to turn her. But she was dying. And, I offered. I warned her that you might...not...permit this." A pause again, as Alucard briefly closed his eyes. "But we decided it was worth attempting. I brought her home just before dawn, and when we woke yesterday, I attempted to let you know she existed and speak with you."

And he'd been drunk, Arthur realized ruefully. And had guests. Probably the most important thing that had occurred since he'd taken over the Mastery again, and he'd been thoroughly pissed at the time. Which reminded him.

"And how did you get so filthy?"

To his surprise, it was the child that spoke. Uncertain, but with a clear voice, and a glance at Alucard for permission that Arthur did not miss. "I was curious about this home, wanted...no, needed...to see it all. Alucard told me that was normal, and that he'd done the same thing. And so, he showed me the basements last night. We looked in most of the rooms," and a slight pointed grin showed, "and every single cupboard and closet, no matter how old and tottering it might be. We opened most of the crates too."

Arthur just blinked. He could actually picture this fairly easily. "You woke up, your first night as a vampire, and you spent it...opening crates?"

She seemed a bit confused, then abashed. "Well...yes. It seemed like the natural thing to do. I kept worrying, not knowing what was where or how to get about. It was...unnerving. I know where the doors to go upstairs are, and that they are locked, and I know where almost everything is down here. We didn't have time for every room, but all the ones close by are done."

Another drink as Arthur thought a bit more. He'd known Alucard was the nosiest bastard alive. Seems like that was a vampire thing. And if he let her live, the child would be inspecting the whole damn house.

Oh, he definitely needed to read up on Abraham's journals again. He remembered some of what he'd read, enough to know that Alucard's household inspection hadn't gone smoothly. And he didn't know if Sarah had done the same or not.

Bloody Hell. Without noticing, he'd decided to let the girl live. He sipped a bit more, analyzing why he'd done so. She was respectful...quiet...and pretty. He had to admit that her appearance had entered into the equation. He understood why Alucard had changed her so abruptly, too. And he could see how attached his monster was to her, too. Abraham had been okay with Sarah, he'd see if this one was more manageable than the younger vampire had been. And she was a willing change, too, also a difference.

"Same rules as for you, Alucard. No biting, no hurting, no causing anyone to hurt themselves. See me with any problems." A sigh. "I ordered more blood, it's up there waiting. Some is surgical blood, some are blood donations. Finish exploring the basement, then meet me in my office and she can start her household exploration there. And YOU will be helping me find the journals Abraham had when you came to England and when you had your other child." Ignoring the flash of hurt that flickered on the vampire's face at the mention of his dead child, Arthur grabbed his bottle and walked a bit unsteadily towards the door. At the base of the stairs, he turned back to the pair of them, locking eyes with the red ones of the child.

"And if you cause any problems or I consider you a threat to anyone on this estate, I will stake you myself. I did not want another vampire, but you've given me no reason to need to kill you. Continue to do so."

With that abrupt command, he wandered on up the stairs, leaving the two relieved yet still worried vampires to cling together and watch him, uncertainty and relief warring in their eyes. 


	53. Getting Presentable

*Surely Alucard won't have his daughter running about looking like a total mess? We'd hope. ;)*

Getting Presentable

After Arthur had left, Alucard had a bit of a time calming Amanda down, when he himself wasn't calm to begin with. He'd been torn between protecting his child and obeying his Master; the bond pushing him one way, instincts pushing him the other. With Arthur gone, the internal conflict suddenly died, and it took him a few minutes of effort to calm back down.

Sometimes, he missed being unbound; he hadn't had to deal with these emotional upheavals for centuries!

But calm down he did, and then sent Amanda to do a bit of exploring while he picked up their dinner. They'd nearly finished surveying the entire basement complex the previous night, and it wasn't long until they'd closed the final crate in the last room. Dinner was drunk in a companionable silence, although, not so hungry as the night before, Amanda started off with a dubious look at the bag Alucard handed her.

He had to laugh...but the scent of the blood as the lid was removed from his bottle stirred her own laggard appetite. Qualms were forgotten as their meals disappeared. Trying to be a good Master, Alucard tried to explain the difference between a bottled meal and a live meal, but at the look on Amanda's face, he quickly changed the subject.

New children were so touchy about such subjects. It had been so very long, he' almost forgotten! The ones that weren't touchy at first were the ones he worried about, and that always, always went insane quickly. Delightful, truly delightful, having a child again. He'd known Sarah was doomed, and had simply enjoyed her for the short time he'd had her. This one, this one he'd need to train!

And a coffin, too. While it was nice to be with her, he was well aware that it would wear thin before too much longer and he'd long for his own privacy again. His bond with the Hellsings was modeled off the bonds he'd formed with his children, and in much the same way, the initial need for proximity and contact would fade. He'd need to get a coffin for her before then.

And he'd have to get her cleaned up. Looking at her, he had to grin, much to her irritation. She had dirt and cobwebs in her hair, smudges and streaks EVERYWHERE. Her clothing, nothing more than the hospital gown she'd been wearing he brought her home, was a shapeless gray mess. He could clean himself with a simple shifting of his form, but she'd need a lot of soap and water.

This stymed him a bit...and then he vanished to get Walter. Walter was in training to be the butler, and Alucard was quite certain he'd be able to arrange a bath for his child. He simply couldn't take her up to Arthur's study looking like this!  
-


	54. Concerns

*Still haven't gotten them up to the office with Arthur. After all, why would he pass up the chance to get Walter off-balance and uncertain, and what is Arthur thinking while he waits?*

Concerns

Walter jumped when Alucard ghosted through his wall, and watched the enormous grin with suspicion.

A bath? Why on Earth would the vampire want a BATH? Alucard wouldn't explain, other than to say that he needed a bath prepared, and quickly, and someplace private. He was adamant about this, and truly delighted when Walter mentioned that one of the storage rooms near the lower basement entrance had a hot water tap in it for the maids and butlers to get hot water for cleaning.

It never ceased to amaze Walter at how powerful the vampire was. It was a matter of minutes before an old-fashioned clawfoot tub had been located and pulled out from under the taps. Alucard practically bounced down the steps with it, setting it up under the downstairs taps with a smugly proud expression.

"Won't you be needing towels?" He had to smirk at the look on Alucard's face. The vampire had been so proud of himself for setting up the tub and water that he was completely oblivous to the lack of towels, flannels, soap, shampoo, and more.

He hauled the vampire to a guest bathroom, loading him down with supplies, and topping it off with a hairbrush and comb for good measure. The vampire looked utterly appalled at the amount of sheer STUFF Walter had handed to him, and Walter had to admit most of it was just to mess with the vampire. But the confused expression when Alucard saw the box of bath salts was so very worth it.

Alucard was not above getting his own back, though. He'd spent a bit of time figuring out how to phrase this...and his deadpan delivery was only betrayed by the laughter dancing in his eyes as the butler's reaction was everything he had wished.

"And what about women's undergarments?"

It was a mark of their familiarity with their Master that they were both well aware where Arthur kept spare clothing for female guests. Alucard suspected that Amanda would not be happy with the dress, and made immediate plans to dig through a few of the chests of clothing from former female residents and see what he could find. Claire's daughters had left quite a few outfits behind, he'd smelled the boxes in the attic, and was confident he'd find something a bit more appropriate for his daughter.

Walter was more concerned about whether Alucard had decided to change into a more adult female form, and thus the odd requests. And exactly what he planned to do with that form, too. He hoped it was some other reason, but he worried about just what devilry the vampire was up to now...and if he'd be tormenting the troops, the staff, or if Walter himself would be the target!

xx x x x x x

Arthur's concerns were more simple than that. When he'd taken in Walter, he'd sent the police to the farm immediately with a description of what he had found, and the parents had been punished thoroughly by the legal system. He'd pushed and pulled strings to get them the most severe punishments possible, though he himself didn't consider them adequate. But anything less, and Alucard would have shown up at the farm some night in the future to deliver his own vengeance. As long as the parents were in jail, they were safe from the vampire.

And Arthur had deliberately not bothered to tell Alucard NOT to hurt them, not as the severity of the damage to the child was reported to him by the doctors and nannies.

The vampire's child had vanished from a hospital in the middle of the night. And sure enough, there was a small article in the paper about the mysterious vanishing...and her distraught family. Damn, damn, damn. 


	55. Bathing

*Alucard isn't terribly experienced with hot baths. And, based on his reaction to things like fireplaces and furnaces...he's not going to be able to resist a hot bath, is he? That mental image inspired this scene, enjoy!*

Bathing

Amanda, in typical vampire form, was curious about what was behind the door leading out of the basement, but wide-eyed and nervous when she entered the hallway itself. A glance at Alucard's knowing grin, and she had to laugh at herself. In many ways, she felt exactly the same as she had as a human. And then some trait would show up, and she'd realize just how different she'd become.

Drinking blood had seemed so repulsive, and then she'd caught a whiff of Alucard's meal and watched his throat work as he swallowed his meal with every evidence of enjoyment. Seeing another vampire eat, smelling the blood...the odd plastic bag of blood had changed from nauseating to delectable in a blink. Now, what was simply exiting a stairway into a hall she hadn't been in before triggered an excessive amount of caution, whereas while a human, she wouldn't have even considered it risky at all.

Musing over this, she followed her Master down the hallway only a few steps, to suddenly find him turning into a small room. Buckets were scattered against the wall, a legion of mops and brooms standing guard above them. The scent of pine, lemon, and soap stung her sensitive nostrils, and she sneezed, clearly surprising Alucard.

"You don't need to breathe, unless you are speaking." His quiet explanation surprised her; not breathing? She held her breath experimentally, and indeed found herself in no discomfort. But it just seemed WRONG in some fundamental, probably human way, and she let the breath whoosh out, deliberately refilling her lungs despite the distasteful quality of the air. Alucard just chuckled. "Suit yourself, little one. You'll find yourself breathing less and less though, until it begins to take effort to remember to do so. And then rooms like this won't affect you anywhere near as strongly." A pause, then, "Even though you don't need to breathe, it's not a bad idea to keep doing so when you think humans might see you. Not only does it help conceal what you are, but in breathing, you'll find yourself taking in scents and the information they carry."

She supposed that made sense, and then turned from the wall with the brooms to find that there was an enormous, chipped, ancient-looking tub in the room...and it was filled with hot, scented water.

x x x x x

Alucard couldn't help but grin as he watched his child. It was so delightful, so full of pleasure when a new child was formed, and while no longer so giddy, he was still simply...happy. All the little quirks and discoveries she displayed amused him, and the amusement only deepened as she saw the bathtub. He locked the door behind them, found a comfortable seat on the bucket, and found himself smiling yet again.

The expression of pure bliss as she slid into the hot water was responsible.

x x x x x x

It wasn't long before the hot water tempted him as well. He'd used the hot water in the house before on various occasions...but didn't think he'd actually been immersed in hot water himself since he was a human. Water and vampires just didn't mix, although the water in a tub would certainly not cause a problem. But it was water, and he'd never thought to do so. But the heat was apparently an exceptional treat to judge by the look of bliss on Amanda's face, and once he stopped laughing, his own clothes vanished and he took over a large portion of the great tub himself.

x x x x

He was still chuckling, and Amanda eyed his mirth sourly. How was SHE to know that vampires purred? She'd been so comfortable, so warm, and the sound coming from her own throat had startled her. Worse yet, when she'd jumped, she'd slipped and gone under the water. Compounding the situation, she'd been inhaling at the time. And while the coughing and spluttering was temporary, she'd put her Master in near-tears from laughter.

But the water was so warm. And once both of them were in the tub, she'd added a bit more hot water. Their cool bodies had caused a noticeable drop in the tub's temperature! But she sudsed, and rinsed, and scrubbed, with a bit of help from her Master, and then they both spent several minutes soaking in the tub.

"You do realize that Arthur will assume we were using the tub for some purpose other than soaking, don't you?" She opened her eyes, focusing on Alucard. What did he mean?

And then, she tried to think as a human...and...Oh. Yes. Yes, he would.

"Is that going to be a problem?" She was a bit worried. While her "reputation" wasn't as important to her as a vampire (she'd never even considered it since changing) she was more than human enough to realize how a human would interpret her sleeping and bathing with Alucard. "He isn't going to be...difficult?"

"He'll be very difficult. And since I don't want him coming on to you, we'll need to set him clear on this very quickly. He's not the sort of man to force himself on a woman, or I wouldn't follow him." Alucard pondered a bit. "Most of the vampires we've met...well, Arthur understands vampires are very sensual creatures. It's in our makeup. What he won't understand is that, as he is part of our family, he's not going to interest you in that way. The bond to him from me is very, very similar to the bond between you and I, and it will be years before you view either of us in that manner." He was very serious, now, silly though he looked with the steam wreathing about his face and his wet hair hanging in his eyes...and the soap bubble dripping off his chin.

"I found an outfit for you that is very...conservative. It may be a bit large for you, and it's plain, but I wanted him distracted from your appearance. You were pretty as a human, and becoming a vampire increases that attractiveness. And he's a very..." Here, her Master simply sighed and looked at her.

"He's a perpetually horny, half-drunk, alcoholic womanizer. And I love him dearly, but I don't entirely trust him around you."

"And we'd better go meet him before it gets much later, and he comes to find us."

x x x x x

True to his description, the dress was...conservative. He'd called it plain, she called it ugly. No waist to speak of, made of thick, heavy fabric that was impossibly unpliable and hid any and every curve it covered, with a thick, embroidered collar that hugged her neck and safely thwarted any attempt to see down her dress. It was apparently some sort of hideous maternity gown, and just as clearly it had never actually been worn.

But it was certainly better than her little cotton hospital gown, and clean, and if her Master's Master was anywhere near the womanizer Alucard had implied, she was much happier facing him wearing this. The dress also kept the hideously sparse bit of cloth that had been provided as underwear safely hidden.

Hair brushed and pulled back in a simple barrette, body clean of smudges and dirt, and clothed in a pair of simple houseslippers and a clean dress, she was ready to face her Master's Master again. And so Alucard took her hand, listened carefully at the door, and then quietly escorted her down the hallway to the basement door. This time, they took the stairs upwards...and paused outside the dimly-lit outline of a door.

And she could hear a human heartbeat on the other side. 


	56. Excuses

*This was done in four parts over the course of a day, whenever it fit into my schedule. It's a bit choppy, but I didn't want to take time to polish or I'd never publish! Thank you again to my faithful reviewers, trust me, I watch for reviews more than you watch for chapters!*

Excuses

A thin, white-gloved hand reached past her, pushing open the door. The room beyond was lit by a few dim lamps, but surprisingly and comfortingly dark. She supposed it made sense; he knew the vampires would be coming. But it was nevertheless reassurring to see that he'd that he hadn't been so angry as to not care. Sir Hellsing himself was seated not far from the door, back to it, at a desk filled with papers and a bottle of scotch that was now filled with air.

"Come in and sit. Alucard, take these journals. Pull out the ones from when you arrived here, and from when Sarah was present. Bookmark all relevant pages." His voice was brusque, cold, and Amanda felt herself tensing. Her Master put a comforting hand on her shoulder before moving obediently to the pile of dusty books and beginning to sort through them. She paused, uncertain, and Arthur barked at her, irritated. "I said sit down. There is a couch. There is you. Sit. Now."

She hurried to obey, still dreading the thought that this man might actually stake her, that she could die, and knowing that keeping him happy would keep her alive. Alucard would love and protect her, but he'd made it quite plain that if Arthur tried to kill her, the man just might succeed before Alucard could break his bond and protect her. The couch was probably soft and comfortable, but it might as well have been made of iron; she was tense, worried eyes focused on her Master's Master.

And then Alucard came to sit beside her, a few dozen journals cradled in his arms, and she leaned against him immediately. It was immensely comforting, having him there, but she didn't miss the faint frown that flitted across Arthur's face. No, he was not happy about them being so physically close. And the part of her that was still human whispered that he was jealous, angry that Alucard was receiving her perceived sexual favors. The vampire in her agreed that he was jealous, but whispered instead that he was angry at having to share Alucard's time and devotion.

"We have some problems, thanks to Alucard's rash decision to change you. For starters, your family and the hospital have clearly missed your body." He sighed, rubbing his head. "Now, on the good side, you were already dying...and they suspect your body was stolen, although no one can decide how or why. Your family was in today's paper, in fact." With an annoyed toss, the folded paper landed in her lap, and she startled...then was grateful to not be human, because she would have been blushing in embarrassment at being startled by a newspaper.

The paper was folded to an image of her family, all of them showing grieving faces and poses, and an article that stated her body had been stolen.

"Needless to say, the hospital is not happy. And, since there was a gremlin there a bare month ago, they are worried. They cannot figure out how you vanished from a third-story room. Had you gone through the hospital, someone would have seen you, would have seen someone stealing the body, and there is nothing. Half the hospital is fussing at a cover-up and accusing the medical students, the other half is convinced it's something more than a gremlin this time." A sour look at Alucard. "Unfortunately, THAT half is correct."

But the mention of medical students had given her an idea. "Sir Hellsing...," a hesitant voice, waiting to see if he'd allow her to speak or not. He watched her, and she saw the sudden look of realization when it occurred to him that she was waiting for permission to speak! Her obedience, instinctive as it was to a newly born vampire, reassurred him. She could see that...and he encouraged her to continue. "My parents are only complaining because they plan to sue the hospital or otherwise play at being victims or gain something financially. I was not exagerrating when I said that I was lonely at the hospital. It has been months since any family member visited me, wrote me, or otherwise interacted. I have several healthy siblings." And here, her voice became bitter. "They had no interest in raising up a crippled female when they had healthy boys, and they made it plain that I was an expense they would happily do without." Her bright eyes focused on Arthur. "Even when they knew I was dying, they did not come to say goodbye."

She paused for a bit, leaning closer to Alucard, seeking comfort from his presence. He laid down the book he was reading to drape his great red coat across her again, an arm tucked under it and about her waist. She calmed, then continued. "It might be possible to claim that I chose to donate my body to medical research and that I stipulated they were not to be informed until after my body had been removed from the premises." A slight, sardonic grin followed that. "Everyone at the hospital knew they didn't care for me, and will probably think that I did this to spite them. They can think what they want. But I am perfectly capable of writing up a will saying that is what I want, dating it back to the past week, and it can be given to the hospital."

She looked up to see a pair of proud red eyes gleaming at her. Alucard added a bit she hadn't considered, too. "And, Master, the director would certainly appreciate that excuse." And he would, too. Amanda was quite able to realize that it would both supply the man with a bit of retaliation at her family and let the newspapers have a good time slinging mud at her family for the neglect, too. The only ones that wouldn't be happy would be her family, and she was surprised to find a bit of vicious pleasure in that thought...though she had to admit that she'd have felt the same as a human.

It wasn't long before she was writing up a short note, guided by her Master's Master, detailing that her remains were to be donated immediately upon death, and that her family was under no circumstances to be told of what was happening until the transfer was completed. With a little smirk, she added a codicil that if they were to visit while she was unable to communicate, and then died, they would be given the right to decide where her remains should go. It was an excellent little dig at them, and she was careful to date it back over two months in the past...emphasizing how long it had been since a family visit.

The letter finished, with Arthur's approval and a thaw in his icy approach to her, she was feeling substantially more comfortable and confident around him. This was her Master's Master, and whether or not he acknowledged it, she could tell at a very instinctive level that he was "family." Having her superior unhappy with her had created a stress that she hadn't even been aware of, and his approval caused her to beam. Alucard grinned at her, looking up from his neatly sorted Journals to glance between her and Arthur then back again.

"You know, child, if you were a spaniel, your entire back half would be wagging."

The pillow from the couch smacked him square in the face, her body following a second behind, and a very amazed and amused Arthur watched his vampires tussle briefly in his office. 


	57. Decisions

*Yes, a little foreshadowing. Arthur isn't happy about having another vampire around, at all. He's nowhere near the ass he was, but realistically, he's supposed to kill vampires that pose a threat to humans. And he sees all vampires as a threat to humans, since his exposure is only to the ones he hunts and to Alucard himself!*

Decisions

He let them tussle for a bit, taking the opportunity to get a fresh bottle from the cabinet. By the time he'd located a decent brand, the snarls and growls had stopped and the two vampires were curled back around each other on the couch.

He should have known, really. Alucard called HIM a womanizer, that vampire was after any female it saw. Maybe having a toy of his own would keep him away from the staff for a bit. She certainly didn't seem to mind. And a little gleeful voice whispered in the back of his head that if Alucard was no longer pursuing any of the women, even with all his restrictions, perhaps a few more of the employees would find their way into HIS bed?

He eyed Amanda thoughtfully as he sat back behind his desk. She was certainly changed in the absolute prime of her life. Too bad Alucard had dressed her in such a sack, he'd bet there were some nice curves under it. He had no taste for the undead, but he wouldn't have minded the view!

Alucard caught his eyes as they stared at the young vampire, and tensed.

x x x x x

When Arthur's slightly drunken eyes stayed focused on his daughter just a few seconds too long, Alucard handed her the last few Journals he'd been looking through. He needed to stop this, and soon. He didn't know what Amanda would do if his own Master attempted to seduce her. One of them would likely be hurt, and she could end up traumatized. With a brief shudder and a soft pat on her back, he turned his red eyes back towards Arthur, aware that they were glowing slightly with his anger, and hoping Arthur would notice that as well.

"Master?" Arthur's eyes roved unsteadily back to Alucard. "Master, I need to clarify a few things with you for the safety of everyone." THAT focused Arthur back on Alucard.

"Safety?" The word was laden with suspicion. Clearly Arthur thought Alucard had placed his household at risk. Not his household, Alucard thought sadly, but the safety of his daughter.

"Your safety, and her safety. Master, she's a virgin, and will be so for many years to come." Beside him, the shocked intake and blatant embarassment of Amanda. In front of him, the shock and confusion on Arthur's face, that he'd be so blunt. He took advantage of this pause to press onwards.

"Young vampires are sexually neutral. It takes a long time for them to be able to control their bite and bloodlust without risk, often a year or more. And it's longer still before they develop the sensuality you see in a mature vampire." At Arthur's clear willingness to argue, Alucard hurried to continue. "Weak vampires, that will never be strong and have no inclination to control themselves will mature much faster. This is my child, not some piece of trash vampire, and it will be years before she develops into an mature and adult vampire."

Arthur looked confused, and disappointed, and Alucard almost felt bad as he delivered the last bit of information. "And vampires do not form physical bonds of that type with close family members for at least a year or even a few decades past that point. You are family. You are my Master, and her instincts recognize that."

He couldn't help it. A great, wolfish grin stretched across his face. "You're going to have to live with an attractive female that considers you her Grandfather."

With Amanda sputtering beside him and Arthur torn between irritation and humor in front of him, Alucard simply sat and cackled.

x x x x x x

Arthur was furious that Alucard had him so aptly pegged. Disappointed that Amanda wouldn't be...available. He'd already started building some lovely fantasies in his mind. Embarrassed to be caught out by his servant in such a way. And...relieved...that the concerns he'd had about her and his troops could be laid to rest.

Though he wanted to throttle the damn vampire for the sheer amount of humor he found in the situation!

x x x x x

It was another hour or more before Alucard had finished sorting through the Journals. Arthur knew it would have taken him most of a day, if not longer; the vampire's intelligence and speed certainly had their uses! And by the end of it, he'd worked with the vampires to develop a plan for how to incorporate the child into his household.

Alucard had been very firm that more blood would be needed, and as long as they were willing to eat both donor blood and the leftovers from surgeries, Arthur saw no problem with this. However, the girl had absolutely no defense or weapons training at all. He'd planned to send her right on out with Alucard, and the vampire had been aghast at the idea.

"Master...she's very, very strong for a new vampire, but she's a new vampire. She has some abilities, yes, but neither of us has determined how strong those abilities may be, and she has no practice using them. She also has others that may develop soon. She's spent the last few months paralyzed in a hospital, and only regained the use of her limbs two days ago! And any vampire knows that you target the child to most effectively damage the maker!" Arthur was impressed to see the vampire actually get up and pace in his concern. "She can't go out with me, not yet. Not until she knows how to use a gun at the least and preferably how to move quickly and defend herself."

In the back of his mind, Arthur thought that might well be a useful way to quietly remove her. Another bloodsucking monster was a liability, and not useful, not when Alucard and Walter were both present. The only thing she offered was the ability to keep Alucard distracted, but he was fairly certain that they'd both simply team up to torment him. No...no. He was not going to kill her. He'd told Alucard that he wouldn't, and his honor would not allow it. He wouldn't protect her, but he had no intention of killing her or setting her up to be killed.

"What about her staying back with the men?" Alucard's eyes flared red at that, and Arthur was treated to a hiss for that suggestion. He wasn't entirely certain why; she'd keep the ghouls away from the men, certainly even a newborn vampire could do that, and their mass would prevent another vampire from seeing her and keep her safe. But Alucard was being far too overprotective, and long experience had taught him to leave the subject for a future discussion.

"So, we leave her here on hunts." Alucard calmed, and nodded.

"There is a substantial amount of the estate for her to explore still. I think that would be the best situation, at least for the next few months." He'd returned to the couch, and now sat beside his daughter again.

"How big is the Estate?" Red and blue eyes turned to stare at her. "I've only been in the basements, but the stairs we took were at least four or five stories up. And the basements spread out so much...how big IS this house?" Arthur stared at her for a minute, while Alucard chuckled. She was so vampiric...and it was wonderful to see his curiousity mirrored in her own wishes. She wanted to explore. She'd seen the office, and was itching to get out and poke about.

He grinned up at Arthur. "She's a vampire, Master, and will be fussing until she's seen every inch of this place."

"Stay out of sight." Arthur's abrupt command took them both by surprise. "I'll tell Walter you have a child, but the rest of the Estate should stay ignorant for several more days. When they find out, it will be more of a done deal; she'll have been here for a week or more already, with no problems. It will save arguments." A glare at Alucard. "I expect problems from this, most especially from the Round Table, but also from my troops angry that I allowed you to create another vampire when they risk their lives to destroy them. I do not want my staff also terrified. Keep her hidden, until I announce to them, several days from now, that we've had another vampire in the house." Sighing, he took a drink directly from the bottle. The Round Table would be furious.

"Show her the house. Stay in the uninhabited sections until everyone is asleep." With another look at the vampire and his daughter, he sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "Go. Just...go. Explore, wander, snoop, do whatever vampire things you want to do" and then he caught himself, opening his eyes to give Alucard a forceful glare, "And NOTHING you should not do." He leaned back, closing his eyes to rest a moment until he finally felt them both leave.

Then, he poured himself another finger of alcohol...lengthwise. And then found his bed, to dream about Amanda and shouting Lords and a laughing red-coated vampire behind them all. 


	58. Chapter 58 : alterations

*It had been a busy Mother's Day weekend, far from a computer, but I did manage to get this written and ready to go online. Thanks for the reviews on the other updated chapter, too!*

Alterations

They started in the attic, Alucard with a grin of remembrance at his own inspection. There were more crates, dusty relics dating from Abraham's move into the Estate and much older ones from Holmswood's time and even before. It was an enormous area, filled with empty frames from old servants' beds, dusty draped furniture that was out-of-date, broken, or simply ugly. And it was empty; not a single human heartbeat sounded up here, and they had the full range of each room and narrow hallway and cobwebby nook.

They'd started with the newest crates, dating from the last decade or so. Josephine and Paul's daughters had left clothing here when they visited, storing it for later use or, he suspected, simply "forgetting" it so as to justify additional purchases. They'd been clever and interesting women, but very focused on fashion and appearance, shallow and manipulative in that shallow way. Their castoffs and discards would serve nicely as clothing for his own daughter, at least until he managed to convince his Master to buy her something decent.

She'd found a few things she liked, looking up at him, her face adorably smudged with dust and cobwebs, as though her bath had never happened. They didn't fit perfectly, but with a belt and a little tailoring, Amanda was happy enough. Alucard had no idea where to find a needle and thread to work on the outfits, but supposed Walter would be able to supply them.

Walter was another issue. Arthur did not want anyone knowing of Amanda, and Alucard had not thought to hide her from Walter. But the twinge of warning from the bond when he considered Walter's reaction reminded him of his Master's strict restriction on this. But it would be temporary. And getting Walter to supply the necessaries such as another bath, while remaining ignorant of Amanda, would simply be too much fun.

While a substantially smaller area than the basements, the attics were far more crammed with junk and their explorations had been temporarily stopped while Amanda had an impromptu fashion show. She'd also asked after some of the furniture; Alucard liked the plainness and simplicity of his room, whereas his daughter wanted rugs, couches, cabinets, and more.

He'd indulge her, it wasn't as though there was any shortage of such items! For now, though, they carried all the dresses and accessories and feminine accoutrements and more downstairs. The household remained fast asleep, only a few guards patrolling outside with the sun just barely beginning to lighten the sky in the east. An armoire, minus a leg and most of a door, was unceremoniously emptied of its eight-legged inhabitants and the clothes carefully hung. Alucard vanished a bit to leave a note for Walter, then both vampires disappeared into his coffin as the sun began to rise.

x x x x x

Walter had been having a most disturbing dream. Something in the household had seemed "off" for the last few days. He hadn't determined what was occurring, but he kept detecting some threat though no threat was possible. Alucard's senses were a thousand times keener than his own, and the vampire had not indicated any problem. Then again, he might simply be waiting for Walter to notice it; the beast had a truly odd sense of humor! So his sleep had been restless, his fingers twitchy, and he'd found himself keeping his wires nearby.

And then a great mass had landed on his chest, leaving him to heave about on the bed, trying to dislodge it, wide-awake but not coherent, fingers vainly flinging nonexistent wires while the rings remained gleaming on the nightstand. It took him a moment to realize that what he was hearing was laughter, and that the great mass was simply Alucard in adult form, sitting on his chest.

"Angel. I need another bath prepared after sunset. And a needle. And some thread."

Walter blinked, and checked to make sure he'd heard right. "A needle and thread...Alucard, why the devil do you need a needle and thread?"

A great pointy grin. "Why, how am I supposed to sew without them?"

Bloody bastard. "Fine. Needle, several spools of thread...and pins, and a thimble, and scissors, and dressmaker's chalk, and..." he grinned back, proud of himself for getting the old vampire nonplussed yet again. The vampire was always ten steps ahead of him, but when it came to the details of domestic life, he'd remained blissfully ignorant.

And Walter would be happy to get him needles, thread, pins...and a prefectly lovely silver thimble.

Bloody bastard. The vampire floated off, and Walter buried his face in the pillows hoping for another hour or two of undisturbed sleep. 


	59. Chapter 59 : Detante

Yes, Arthur is a horndog. But he's doing better...

Detante

Alucard woke again, nose nestled into the curls of Amanda's hair. Oh, he could get used to this! He pulled back his head, looking down fondly at his daughter. She was absolutely adorably smudged and begrimed yet again, and smiling slightly in her own sleep. It was so...GOOD...to have a daughter again, a child of his own. And his Master seemed to have thawed some towards her as well, judging by their interactions the previous night.

He was no longer nearly as worried about keeping her safe or how his Master would react! But his internal clock was telling him that it would be another hour until nightfall. Sleep was tempting him; it wasn't too unusual for him to wake up early on dark and cloudy days, no matter how shielded from the weather he was, but he generally chose to sleep a bit more.

Today, though...his daughter wouldn't wake up until well past sunset. He had an hour or so free to speak privately with his Master and to see that Walter had obtained his requests. A grin danced across his face at the memory. Walter had barely been awake, and Alucard had been careful to leave a note about what he wanted. Long experience with Walter, especially hundreds of experiences of waking him in the middle of the night just for the hell of it, had taught him that the butler/hunter did not have the best of memories when half-asleep.

With a fond sigh at his sleeping child, Alucard levered himself out of his coffin. Time to go find Walter...and Arthur.

x x x x x x x

The tub was right where he'd left it...yes. The butler was nowhere to be found, but the tub was there, and fresh towels. And...ah, yes again. Walter had provided a sewing kit. Alucard had no idea what most of the items were, and poked about curiously, only to jerk his hand back with a hiss.

BURNED? Silver! With a shudder at the thought of little Amanda having touched that, he flung the little silver cup at the wall, flattening it from the force of the impact. He was enraged, eyes glowing and fangs bared, and it took him a few moments to calm.

Walter had left that there as a prank for him, simple payback for his awakening. He had not been attacking Amanda. He HAD NOT been attacking Amanda. Repeating this to himself, Alucard forced himself to calm. He had a minor burn that would be gone in moments, whereas Amanda would likely have scorched a finger to the bone. She was powerful, his daughter, far more powerful than any trash vampires they might encounter, because his blood ran in her veins. But she was not so powerful as him, not even close, and she was vulnerable.

With a final shudder at the might-have-been, Alucard peered through the rest of the kit. Much of it was fairly mysterious, but he did recognize needles, pins, and scissors plus a few spools of various colors of thread. He had no idea what the pencils with the white lead were used for, or the little brush, or a half-dozen other mysterious items, but that was Amanda's concern now! He'd fill the bath after she woke...time now to find Arthur.

x x x x x

His Master was drinking tea in his office. A sniff told Alucard it was more along the lines of tea-flavored scotch; Arthur's idea of adding a dash of alcohol to a drink tended to mean more alcohol than drink. Arthur looked up at him with a glare, and Alucard wilted a bit. He'd simply wanted to spend some quiet time with his Master...it had been several days, after all...

Arthur eyed his monster for a few minutes. He was comfortable on the couch, girly magazine in his lap, warm tea with a bit of fortification close at hand, and no real paperwork to worry about, not tonight. Alucard had, of course, come in to ruin all that. But...the monster was absent his usual devilish grin and visibly withdrew at the look Arthur gave him.

Maybe he was lucky tonight and all that bastard wanted was a bit of company? Why wasn't he with his daughter then? Ah...not yet sunset. She was doubtless still asleep.

And so Arthur, instead of scolding Alucard, simply scooted himself and his magazine a bit closer to the arm of the couch. Within moments, the vampire was lounging next to him, head on his thigh, and hair spread across his entire lap. Alucard wasn't entirely happy about his head being used as a prop to hold up the magazine, but it was a new issue and Arthur was not going to put it up, not when he finally had a decent chance to give it a good looking-over.

The rest of the evening passed in comfortable, relaxed companionship. Arthur shared a few pictures with Alucard, but the vampire didn't tend to find humans attractive unless there was red blood flowing under warm skin. He enjoyed the occasional trips out to a show that Arthur took him on, but pictures evoked nothing more than minor appreciation. He simply napped lightly, Arthur occasionally twirling a bit of the monster's hair between his fingers or giving him a gentle pat.

x x x x x x

It was nice, warm...and Alucard could feel the relationship he'd inadvertantly damaged beginning to repair itself. At least Arthur wasn't mad anymore...he was as affectionate as he'd ever been, really, and Alucard was glad he'd come upstairs instead of returning to sleep.

But the sun set, and Amanda would be waking. Almost regretful, Alucard pulled himself off the couch and away from his Master, sinking through the floor back down to his daughter.

x x x x x

Arthur watched the vampire's silent and rapid exit. He was a little irritated that their peaceful evening had ended, but also rather grateful. He'd found a few of those images very intriguing, indeed, and having Alucard about had rather cramped his potential activities... 


	60. Chapter 60 : Revealed

*Walter needed to meet her. I hadn't planned on it, really, but it happened!*

Revealed

The last dusty box was closed, and the two vampires grinned at each other. Alucard had been thoroughly enjoying indulging both his daughter and his inherent curiousity. Most of what was in the attic he had long since inspected, but there were new boxes and crates from the last few decades that were entirely new to him as well as his daughter. They'd started the evening with a bath, the door thoroughly latched and locked.

While no one had been near as they'd entered the room and filled the tub, it was only a few minutes and someone was rattling the door and banging on it, attempting to access the store room.

A vicious snarl, a moment's pause, and then the sound of a pair of feet retreating up the hallway at a dead run. Amanda was almost horrified that Alucard did that to the poor person, but the vampiric side of her had her laughing along with him. The bath ended with soap bubbles everywhere and each broom and mopped absolutely drenched. Alucard hadn't been able to play, tussle, and wrestle like this since...well...before he bonded to the Hellsings. Walter had been close, but he was human, fragile, and his sense of humor was not quite vampiric.

Amanda was not so breakable, was fast, strong, and most important of all, she ACTED like a vampire. The floor was a small pond and both vampires were grinning like fools, soap bubbles dripping from the low ceiling, before they were finished. And then it was back to the basement, the half-destroyed room left behind them, to work on Amanda's clothing.

Or, for Amanda to work on taking in a simple dress, and Alucard to watch curiously and interupt her concentration whenever possible.

x x x x x x

Walter had heard the frantic report from the terrified servant, and gone down to the washroom to confront Alucard himself. He'd been placed in charge of hiring and maintaining the household staff, and when Alucard frightened off yet another one, he was the one that had to go through the piles of resumes, conduct interviews, and train the new employee. It wasn't like he didn't already have enough to do, just keeping Arthur organized! He was grateful to Alucard for saving him as a child, but well aware that his presence had effectively "saved" the vampire. Familial love and respect only went so far.

And when he opened the now-unlocked door and saw the drenched mess he'd now have to clean, it didn't go anywhere near far enough.

x x x x x x

Tucked away in a room that Amanda was considering for her own, lopsided wardrobe hunched in the corner, Amanda hemmed and stitched and Alucard followed her progress with curious red eyes. They both paused and sat, identical head tilts, at the furious sounds of Walter.

"Alucard! Damn you! Where are you, you bastard!"

Amanda's startled eyes found a laughing Master, who whispered to her simply, "THAT would be Walter." He grinned, eyes following the sounds of Walter as he rampaged through the basement a few rooms away. They had no light; vampires didn't need light. He didn't usually use these rooms, and Walter was only guessing that Alucard was in the basement to begin with. And Walter wasn't supposed to know about Amanda yet... And so, they sat in silent amusement, listening to the furious man.

"You great ass! You flooded the entire damn room, there's water in the hallway, the boards are going to warp, and how the HELL did you get the ceiling plaster wet!" "Get out here, you bastard!" "Quit hiding, you undead ass! I will find you!" "Goddamn it! Where are you, Alucard! This is NOT OVER!"

It took several minutes before the butler gave up, and they heard him stomping up the stairs to Arthur's office. As he vanished, Alucard and Amanda literally collapsed in laughter. Amanda was crying in her great humor, and then terrified of the blood she found!

"Master!" He stopped from his guffaws at the tense sound, to see her holding up a blood-stained pair of fingers, all merriment gone from her face. A brief explanation later, and her fear was gone, but her humor now calmer, less manic. They both listened to the faint sounds of Walter shouting at Arthur.

He was already furious at the mess, enraged further at Alucard's absence, and had undoubtedly found Arthur entirely sauced.

"He's not having a very good evening." Alucard's smug conclusion drew a slight frown from Amanda.

"Master, he's nearly family...you ought to have a bit more respect for him!" Her indignant look spurred Alucard on to greater humor, and her eyes snapped at him.

"He's well aware that I'm a vampire and Arthur is a drunkard. The bastard put a silver thimble in the sewing basket as a prank on me; I found it and removed it before you could injure yourself. Don't feel too bad for him."

The sewing continued. The evening was late, but not quite late enough for the entire household to be asleep, and there were several dresses to alter. For now, they'd remain concealed, listening to the faint sounds of the great argument going on up above. Alucard left briefly, ghosting through the floors to fetch their dinner, but not wishing to interact with anyone but his child.

x x x x

It didn't last. Within the hour, Arthur's bellow was echoing through the basements. "Alucard! Where the devil are you!" With an indignant huff, the monster in question unfolded from the floor, leaving his daughter to find his Master. Not just Arthur, but Walter...no longer angry, but intensely curious.

"I'd been feeling another vampire around for a few days." Walter glared at Alucard. "It would have been NICE if you and Arthur had decided to tell me that there really was another vampire, rather than leaving me jumpy and tense. I damn near sliced a maid yesterday."

The introduction was rather anticlimactic. With Arthur watching carefully from behind Walter, and Alucard glaring at him over Amanda's head, Walter carefully shook Amanda's hand, introducing himself as "Butler, vampire hunter, and generally who you'll go to for help when these two asses prove to be utterly useless." Amanda responded with her own name...and an apology on behalf of herself and Alucard for the mess upstairs. A dry look at Alucard, and Walter said simply, "It's nothing I wouldn't expect him to do. It's not the first time he's created a major mess and left it for me to clean up. And I do not hold out any hope it will be the last, either. Do try and keep his destructive tendencies in check, would you?"

Amanda's delighted peal of laughter held a nervous air to it. There was no bond to Walter, he wasn't family, and this was her first experience with a warm human, entirely edible, and within such easy reach... Her predatory instincts were in full force, and Alucard was very glad she'd just eaten. She'd have controlled herself regardless, but it was easier, less obvious to the humans, since she had eaten. But a trace of that tension showed in her laughter, and Alucard shepherded the two men out as quickly as possible, well aware of the hungry look Amanda was levelling at them.

She'd never bite them, but it would take some practice before the URGE to bite them no longer showed so clearly on her face! Arthur was family...but Walter...well... Alucard had to admit, the young man smelled absolutely delicious. He'd long since grown accustomed to the distinctive, appetizing smell, but Amanda had just gotten socked with a full dose of it!

She was distracted as she altered her clothes, and Alucard caught her occassionally lifting her head to take a deep sniff, enjoying the traces of Walter's scent that lingered.

Walter had been the only resident that would pose an actual danger to his daughter, and Alucard felt much safer now that his entire "family" was associated with each other and it had gone (or was at least finally going!) so well. He relaxed against the wall, eyes half-lidded, as Amanda snipped and stitched and held dresses up, eyeing them and asking his opinion. At least, asking his opinion until he started handing out his entirely uncensored and honest opinion. After that, he was left to muse in quiet on his daughter and their future, while her scissoring had an indignant snap and she stabbed at the fabric, irritation clear.

He grinned.

This was going to be so much fun. 


	61. Chapter 61 : Snooping

*Alucard is a bit of an overprotective father! Part of it is that this is his first real child in over a century, part of it is that she looks like Beatrice, part of it is just HIM. You can imagine how messed up he had to be to ignore Seras like he did for so long!*

Snooping

Arthur, Walter, and Master were going out on a hunt. While Amanda was a little miffed at not being included, she'd planned to finish exploring the house. Or at least, exploring the uninhabited areas. It seemed that she was not going to be doing that after all.

Master had NOT been happy about leaving her behind, not without him, or Walter, or even Arthur there. He'd been paranoid about her safety, and it had taken all three of them to convince him that she'd be perfectly safe left at home. She promised to head back to the basement immediately if anything should happen.

"STAY in the basement until we return." Alucard's glare was absolute, and his red eyes were beginning to glow.

"And WHEN will you be back? I don't fancy an entire night of staring at walls!" Amanda had snapped back at him. He'd gone on a hunt before, but Walter had remained behind, and been happy to keep her company. Frankly, Amanda had spent far too long alone and trapped in that iron lung, staring at the walls and ceiling. The basement was no hospital room, but being secluded down there, alone, for hours and hours...it gave her the shivers.

Alucard apparently picked up on this, and looked faintly guilty but no less determined. And then Arthur joined in.

"She'll be fine. Only a few hunters are going with us. Everyone else will be here, the estate is well-guarded. Nothing is going to break into the estate and hurt her. Let her explore the house while we're gone."

"NO!" Alucard's roar almost drove Arthur back. He was entirely irrational with fear for her, and Amanda would have laughed if she hadn't been worried about being trapped in the basement all night, alone. She'd already altered her dresses and decorated her room...and she was itching to finish the wing they'd been exploring the previous night. "The basement is safe, I want her THERE." He looked rather mulish, eyes blazing.

Arthur wrote it off as Alucard testing his strength and Amanda's obedience. The vampire had thrown some god-awful fits about the most absurd things in the past, then gleefully admitted the next night that he hadn't really cared...he'd just wanted to piss Arthur off.

"No. You are not trapping her down there simply to irritate the both of us. She can explore."

Alucard was looking desperate, and time was wasting. Walter was wise enough not to interfere, but he was fidgety, looking out the window to where the truck and car were waiting to transport them to the nest of whatever-it-was that was eating people out on the moors. The argument looked to be ready to go on for hours, and he finally stepped in.

"Why not at least allow her into the office? She can read, listen to the radio, and the basement stairs have an access right there. It's not exploring, but she won't be as bored." Amanda shot him a relieved look, Arthur just looked annoyed...and Alucard, Alucard slowly settled.

"Office and basement only." He pinned his daughter with a fierce red stare. "And if anything happens, you go to the basement IMMEDIATELY."

"Alright, alright!" She had to fight not to laugh at his overprotectiveness, giddy with relief at her reprieve from the basement. She LIKED the basement, but alone...in the dark...for hours and hours...and it was so SILENT. Normally this was nice, but when she was alone and knew she'd be alone, and alone, and alone...it was too much! Besides, she really hadn't gotten to snoop much in the office, not with Arthur, Alucard, or Walter constantly around. She'd gotten to SEE the office, but each little drawer of the desk was still a mystery, and when she'd tried to look at the files, Arthur had SNAPPED at her, his voice angrier and shorter than she'd heard since her first encounter with him!

She shooshed them off to go find their monsters, then looked about with a smile. Moving to the window, she saw them load into the car, then it pulled off and away, followed by a truck containing those mysterious soldiers.

Time to really check this room out. What exactly DID Arthur do all day with all those papers? She glided over to the desk, flipping open the top file and beginning to read the forms within.

She really didn't give a damn about the kitchen supplies order forms, but that itch of curiousity she'd been ignoring for days was finally getting satisfied! 


	62. Chapter 62 : Hootch

*I hadn't planned to write this up tonight, but the story grew. Sorry all. Warning, this is NOT a happy chapter. Hootch is slang for alcohol, dunno if the British used it but it is an old American term at least.*

Hootch

Arthur was gone with his vampire, and so was Walter! The men were a bit overjoyed at this. It was no secret at all that Arthur was a drunk, and kept a pretty substantial stash of alcohol in his office. And it was the good stuff, too. He was an expensive drunk... And on a very few, rare occasions the men had managed to sneak a few of those bottles out of the office. It was hard to do, with Walter and the vampire hovering about so often, but sometimes, sometimes, the opportunity arose. And with Arthur usually tipsy and with maids and such going in constantly to straighten the mess that was his office, the door was rarely locked.

And tonight, a few of the men had decided that this was the perfect time to see if they could liberate some of that fine Scotch. Once their boss and the two trashmen were safely gone and out of sight, they'd headed right up to the office to pick up a few bottles. The maids might be bribable to stay quiet, and it wasn't too unusual to find one up late and cleaning the office mess once Arthur was out of it, but no one wanted to give up any of their hootch because they were careless and made too much noise. And so they crept quietly to the office, keeping an eye and an ear out for any potential witnesses.

x x x x x

Amanda was not being anywhere near so careful. She was perfectly safe in the office, and she'd just found personnel folders for a few men Arthur was apparently considering hiring. With photos, too. And she had settled comfortably into Arthur's chair, happily flipping through the dossiers and creating life stories of the men in her own mind. It was more entertaining than reading a book, and quite engrossing. And certainly far better than being stuck downstairs.

x x x x x

The door was closed, but no light came under it. Jackpot! No one was in there cleaning, and with a grin, the men quietly turned the knob, opening the door. And as the lead man reached towards the light switch, the man behind him saw the red eyes above the desk.

Alucard was gone.

And the light came on to reveal a vampire at Sir Hellsing's desk, with the Institute's very private and classified paperwork spread about her, clearly reading it! They'd been infiltrated!

And the vampire had flung herself back in the chair, hissing at them!

These were not Hellsing soldiers for nothing. And even relaxed, in their home, at night, they carried the small side-arms that had been insisted on since the time of Abraham Van Helsing himself.

x x x x x

This man looked interesting. She'd had no idea that the section of the military he was being recruited from even existed. Well, it seemed to be more of a police force, but armed. Interesting, and wh...LIGHT! She hissed, throwing an arm over her sensitive eyes as the overhead lights blazed on, blinding and paining her, pushing away from the desk.

She heard sharp reports, and the sudden and agonizing burn in her body told her what was happening. Horrified, she stumbled the few feet to the stairs, scrambling at the hidden handle, feeling her strength already fading.

x x x x

They'd missed the heart of that vampire bitch with the first few bullets, the desk and the moving chair and their sheer surprise causing the bullets to injure but not destroy the vampire. But she moved, and as she stood by the wall scrambling at the books, the next bullets were right on target.

They'd been in the office less than five seconds, but all thoughts of scotch were forgotten. Blood was spattered liberally across the wall behind the desk, and a pile of ash was all that remained of their vampiric intruder.

x x x x x

They were only a few miles from the estate, Alucard still somewhat tense and worried. Walter was taking advantage of his moodiness to tease the vampire, only to have Alucard literally snap at him for it. Arthur broke up the brewing spat, only to see Alucard suddenly go completely stiff, eyes staring blindly at the window.

And he shrieked, a sound Arthur never, ever wanted to hear again. It started high, and spiraled higher, an expression of soul-tearing pain that shredded his mind and ears. And then the glass of the car window shattered as a black form crashed through it, the vampire fleeing back towards the house.

Arthur slammed the dividing window open, shouting to the driver to turn the car around immediately. The surprised face of the driver of the truck following them was visible in a brief flash as the car spun about on the road and then the engine was gunned, the car racing past the lumbering truck and speeding towards the Estate.

x x x x x x

Alucard had found his daughter's remains when he crashed through the office window, and the small cluster of soldiers congratulating themselves nervously on their kill. They didn't live long enough to celebrate that victory. He was aware of the shredding pain of his binding from their deaths, but ignored it. The pain of Amanda's loss was so overwhelming even the binding was irrelevant.

His mind snapped. Blood lust, rage, and a wicked glee at hunting humans warped through his mind, appearing as a warped grin on his face, and he stalked through the house. As he moved towards the barracks, soldiers darted towards him, having heard the screams of their compatriots upstairs. And they fell, some to bullets, some to bites, all of them dying when facing the chilly and insane smile of Alucard.

He moved steadily and ruthlessly towards the barracks, shooting soldiers with a glad cackle as they fled from him. Some of the men managed to organize themselves, trying to flank him from behind, just outside the main barracks door. He grinned back over his shoulder at them.

Out of bullets. What a pity. What a pleasure.

Sharklike mouth gaping wide, he fell upon them, and the blood painting the walls was the first thing that Arthur and Walter found as they raced into the house through the barrack's entrance. 


	63. Chapter 63 : Breakdown

*At least one more chapter after this one. Thank you all for the reviews, even if none of us liked seeing Amanda go!*

Breakdown

Arthur felt like breaking down himself.

He'd managed to stop Alucard, but it had been a real fight. Alucard had been almost completely senseless. He hadn't been trying to attack either Arthur or Walter, and so far all the domestic staff had reported in safe.

But he'd massacred the soldiers. Less than half were alive, and many of them were not physically fit for duty any time soon. None of them were mentally fit; not after the horrors they'd seen in the hallways.

But Arthur had placed himself between his infuriated monster and the soldiers. Alucard had shoved him out of the way, and he'd interfered again, and again, slowing the vampire and letting the soldiers retreat. Fine silver wires had joined him, Alucard screaming in pain and fury as they restrained him.

And he PULLED constantly, trying to access his greater abilities, and Arthur fought back mentally as much as he did physically. Blocked, blocked, and blocked again; Alucard was limited to only his physical abilities, unable to shift shape, to move through the walls after his prey, to send familiars into battle.

But oh, God, those physical abilities were still nearly too much.

But they'd done it.

They'd gotten all the soldiers out of sight, and out of the mansion. Arthur had told them to scatter, to seek medical treatment, to get out of the Estate until Alucard was restrained. As long as they were present, he thought Alucard would still be hunting them.

And with them gone, and only Arthur and Walter present, Alucard had become less...intent. They'd managed to wrap him in wires, and haul him, only vaguely protesting, down into his rooms.

Amanda wasn't waiting there, and Arthur's sick feeling that she'd been destroyed intensified into a near-certainty. But he and Walter maneuvered Alucard, hissing and snapping, into his coffin. The vampire collapsed, unconcious, as soon as his head touched the pillow. There was no sound from the coffin, no mental grabbing for power, as Walter brought chains and crosses, working quickly with Arthur to seal their friend and servant away in his coffin.

x x x x x x

The trip back up the broken, bloody hallways was horrific. And added to the gut-wrenching carnage of his men in his home, was the rising of the ghouls. They were undirected, but still predatory in their mindless way. And they bore the faces of soldiers who'd been loyal employees and breathing Hellsing members such a very short time ago.

And with Walter's wires, and a few of his bullets, they became mere dust.

x x x x

The carnage had begun in his office. On the wall, by his desk, was a great bloody splatter, and a pile of dust...with Amanda's dress crumpled about it. Three corpses, at least he thought it was three, he saw three heads, were ripped and scattered about on the floor. The window was smashed in, and in his mind, he saw Alucard diving through it, then beginning his rampage.

The soldiers had killed Amanda.

Alucard had been right, she should have stayed in the basement. Why had he forced Alucard to let her out?

And he hadn't locked the office door, either. He'd told the girl she was safe, but he hadn't locked the door, hadn't instructed people to stay out of his office. He'd left her vulnerable. And he hadn't told the soldiers she existed, hadn't even warned them not to shoot any female vampires on the estate with the implication it might be Alucard.

And they'd shot her, as was their duty. And died in a bloody, horrific way by the one monster they'd thought would not harm them.

The monster he'd left, broken, bleeding, and mentally destroyed, alone in the coffin downstairs.

But priorities had to exist. The remaining wounded that could not evacuate had to be destroyed or taken to the infirmary. Dear God, had the doctor lived? The staff had to be escorted out, found rooms at hotels, kept quiet. Somehow...he had to clean the house, restore it.

Oh, God. He wanted a drink. Needed it.

But if he'd been sober, he might have remembered to lock his office door. He might not have been so foolish this last week in the matter of Amanda had he not stayed sober.

And Walter had told him that the men had come up to his office to steal away some Scotch. One of the survivors had told his butler as they moved slowly towards his office, dispatching ghouls and tying bandages and organizing the transport of the soldiers to the infirmary. And if he hadn't been such a drunk, that scotch would not have been available for theft. And he'd have noticed the thefts in the past, and known that Amanda would be at risk.

And at this time, no matter how much he craved it, he simply couldn't touch the alcohol.

x x x x x

And so, he took the files containing the employee names and lists down the hall, to the room where the Hellsing children and Walter had been tutored. There were desks, pencils, and it was away from the carnage.

And instead of breaking down, he and Walter began to make an accounting of who had lived, and who had died. And how.

And the amber bottles remained untouched. 


	64. Chapter 64 : decision

*I'd thought this was the last chapter, looks like it'll pull itself out into another 2 or 4 or so. We'll just have to see how the story works! Thanks for all those who left reviews on THREE different stories this weekend!*

Decision

The thick, soft silk side of his coffin met his eyes. Something was wrong, something was missing. What? He pondered this. He hurt, burns lacing his body, though he wasn't hungry...Walter's wires? He didn't know of anything else that could hurt him, leave him injured a full day, though the burns were only superficial and nearly done. But they covered him.

So confused. What had happened? Where? Where what? He fought his sleep-addled mind, realizing with a dim fear that it was not sleep that was addling him so badly. And what was missing?

Amanda.

He threw his head back, screaming his pain. The pain was shortly replaced by a deep, cold rage. He'd kill them, kill them all. He remembered the glory of the hunt of the night before, the beautiful sprays of the blood as the clean, so very normal walls became part of a charnel house, the horror he'd turned the estate into. A grin, entirely vicious, cold, and mad, stretched his face. Yes. They weren't all dead. There was time to hunt and kill them all, still.

Why hadn't he finished?

Arthur and Walter. The bastards. They'd interfered. Arthur...had he been injured? Alucard could only hope. And Walter. He hadn't attacked Walter. Walter was too much like a child himself, and Walter's death would have sent him entirely over the edge. The man was very much like one of Alucard's grown children; no longer family, quite, but a welcome presence with an undeniable bond. No, the memories in his mind were brutally clear but made it plain that he had not attacked Walter, not hurt him, though both Walter and Arthur likely had bruises and sore muscles.

They'd brought him to the basement, put him in his coffin. He remembered that now, his bloodlust lessening, ebbing as he ran out of targets, as the remnants of his family surrounded him, restrained him. He hissed at the thought. So many left to kill, they'd interfered! And then his coffin, and the mindless sleep it offered.

Time to pay them back for stopping him. He hadn't been finished yet. Not even close. With a hiss, his cold, thin white hand rested against the lid of the coffin, preparing to raise it and return to his very deadly, very precise hunt.

The snarl when he realized that his exit was barred was exceeded only by the pure, choked rage when he pulled upon his powers to exit anyways...and found Arthur restraining him from those as well.

Molten red eyes focused on the lid of the coffin, then lost some of their intensity as the vampire began to plot.

x x x x

"He's awake." Both men glanced out at the evening sky. The sun was not yet set, still half-visible above the horizon. It was a lovely sunset, but neither man had the heart to appreciate the beauty. Walter just nodded, and that cold nature that Arthur had noted surfaced again.

"He ate well and slept very early. I am not surprised." The calm, sad eyes moved to Arthur. "Have you decided what to do?"

"It's going to depend on Alucard. I don't know if he's sane or not, I can't tell anything but that he's awake, and that only because he's trying to access the Seals." Arthur rose, unfolding his exhausted frame from the desk. He'd caught a short nap that afternoon, but the sheer calamity of the night before was barely touched, the sticky scent of drying blood and the acrid, horrific odor of ghoul ashes still drifting on the air. That short nap had been anything but restful. "I...stay here, Walter. I don't know what he's going to do, how much of "him" is left." Grim eyes focused on his butler. "If it's safe, I'll bring you back down."

"And if it's not safe?" An elegant eyebrow arched up. "I'll have you dead and Alucard on a rampage. I might at least be able to restrain him if he attacks."

Arthur had no strength left to argue, and the two men silently moved to the basement. The back staircase would allow them access while avoiding the questions and accusations of the few people still present, trying to restore some sort of order and remove the dead for burial. But that still meant a short trip down the bloody carpet of the hallways and the office.

Arthur's footsteps pulled away from the floor with the occasionally, deeply unpleasant, sticky squelch. He was already shuddering long before he and Walter began the long, slow descent into the basements. 


	65. Chapter 65 : Confused

*this is going to take a lot longer to wrap up than expected. The scenes are writing themselves and in no hurry to end. Expect a few more chapters!*

Confused

He could hear them coming down the stairs, and the red eyes slit.

He wanted to kill the soldiers. Arthur wouldn't let him. He'd have to pretend to be willing to leave them alone until Arthur got drunk again, and then...he'd pull on his abilities. And then he'd get to play.

With effort, the snarl on his face was pushed off, a pleasant, confused, drowsy expression forced into place. And he waited, hearing their footsteps in the room. Arthur and Walter? Most likely. The drowsy expression faltered, the fury flashing through for a brief instant. And then he pushed it away again.

Patience and deception were key. And he could do both.

x x x x x x

"Alucard?" Arthur's voice was tired, beaten-down, no longer the proud and commanding baritone but a fatigue rasp. He was relieved when after a few suspenseful moments of silence, a confused, non-aggressive "Master?" came from the coffin.

"Master? I can't get out!" The voice sounded worried, not quite frantic but close to it. "Master? Is that Walter? Walter! Please! I can't get out!" There was a brief scratching sound, and the slightest of shifting of the lid. Alucard was sounding panicky, not there yet, but still frightened, and Arthur was moved to comfort him.

"Hush, Alucard. Calm down. We'll open it, it will be just a few moments. Relax." The vampire was an incredibly manipulative monster, and while he just might be as disoriented and frightened as he sounded, it could also all be a sham. Arthur was relieved that Walter had come down as well, and nodded towards his butler's hands. Walter shook out a few short loops of wire, eyes focused on the coffin as Arthur unfastened chains and prepared to free the vampire.

The lid slid off, and Alucard immediately sat up, arms clutching his body and wide, red eyes blinking up at his Master. Arthur got the impression that the vampire wanted to be next to him, right now, seeking comfort, but was too frightened to do so. The red eyes moved over his body, pausing on the blood stains and tears from the day's labor, and the shocked and very confused and worried eyes moved back up the Arthur's face. The vampire appeared timid, disoriented, fearful; nothing like the cold and raging force he had been. It almost hurt Arthur to see what Alucard was currently reduced to.

x x x x x

Inside, Alucard laughed. They were accepting his facade of puzzled, frightened innocence. The fools. This would be easier than he expected.

x x x x x

Arthur sighed, moving close to the coffin and resting a comforting hand on Alucard's head. Immediately, a cold cheek moved to rest against his leg, and a quiet, faint whimper rose from his vampire's throat. He knelt, hand cupping the side of Alucard's face, fingers hidden under the silky black hair, and asked a question he dreaded the answer to.

"How much do you remember?"

x x x x x

The shaggy head simply shook back and forth under his hand in a negation. "Remember...I...we left. You and I and Walter. There was a hunt." Head tilted, innocent red eyes looked up at Arthur. "Did we kill it? Did it hurt me? Is that what happened?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, Alucard. We never made it to the hunt. What else do you remember."

The vampire was very quiet, the seconds ticking past. Finally, the head tilted back, confused and distracted red eyes meeting Arthur's. "Master...almost nothing...I...a week. I don't remember. A bath? There was a dress, very ugly." His brows knitted and Walter and Arthur could almost feel the effort radiating off him. The head shook again, the voice thin and stressed. "Master, I don't remember! What happened?"

It was easier than dealing with a homicidal vampire hell-bent on murder, but so much more painful emotionally. Arthur settled on the floor, pulling Alucard out of the coffin and into his lap. Confused and awkward, the vampire complied, his head tucked under Arthur's chin, his Master's arms gently holding him.

"Do you remember Amanda?" The vampire cringed under him, and Arthur mentally steeled himself for the explosion. Once again, the vampire surprised him.

"You aren't...upset?" A confused red eye peeked up at him. "I know I should have told you we were friends, but I didn't want you to stop us from visiting." The red eye remained focused on him, the vampire clearly wary of Arthur's probable response to this confession. Walter moved to sit on Alucard's chair. Arthur didn't fail to notice the deeply suspicious look the man was giving to his vampire.

"Alucard, do you know where Amanda is?" The red eye blinked, trying to figure this one out.

"Isn't she in the hospital? She's in an Iron Lung, she can't move about." Eyes widened. "Master, did she leave? Did they move her?" Alucard pulled away from Arthur's chest, both red eyes on his Master's face, clearly distraught.

"Alucard...no. They didn't move her. She passed away." The voice was gentle, but the vampire crumpled in his arms, keening softly. Arthur rested against the coffin, hand rubbing gentle circles on his grieving vampire's back.

x x x x x

He'd need to cry blood for this to be realistic. Face hidden, Alucard allowed himself a triumphant, leering grin for a few lovely moments. Focusing on his sorrow over losing Amanda, the tears came easily, and he had to fight to shut them back off. A few tears over a human companion would be understood, he'd grieved for Seward and Winters and Holmswood, after all. But the deep, racking howls of grief he longed to release would give away the game entirely.

And the soldiers would escape the penalty for murdering his child.

So he pushed them away, storing them for later, and looked trustingly back up at Arthur.

"How?"

x x x x x x x

Arthur had left the quietly grieving vampire in his chambers, with instructions to stay there. He refused to tell Alucard why, but the vampire was still not entirely coherent, and the mental infirmity made him more biddable. They'd left him curled in his coffin, melancholy but entirely unaggressive, still puzzled and worried but trusting in Arthur to take care of him and explain the gaps in his memory and his own confusion. He hadn't wanted a book or anything at all, just to rest, and Arthur and Walter had left him to do so.

And when they came out of the peaceful, still darkness of the basement and stairs and into the bloody catastrophe that was the office, Arthur wondered if they'd done the right thing.

No matter how harmless and confused the vampire seemed...there were still bits of body in his office, left behind after the main pieces had been gathered together. He could hear the rattle and voices of the cleanup crew in the hallways, none of them from Hellsing, but seasoned crime-scene cleanup employees from London's police force.

This would be a crime scene they would never, ever have imagined. Arthur had told them that there had been a new type of grenades, swords, and at least a handful of large dogs involved in the attack as well as the guns, and so far, they seemed to be buying it. Questions about what had triggered the attack were met with simple statements, such as, "This is currently under investigation. No more information can be released until the investigation is complete."

No stranger to such answers, the crew nodded and continued their cleanup, working throught the afternoon to strip carpets and bleach walls. And even now, most of the hallways between his office and the barracks remained untouched.

The vampire had murdered 27 people at last count, injuring another 7 with bullet wounds and broken bones and missing limbs. All 7 were not likely to live. And the monster had used the death and carnage to create a bloody display of his rage, even the ceilings showing imprints of bodies and limbs.

He was exhausted, mentally strung out, and now deeply worried for the mental health of his timid, disoriented vampire. Walter left him alone in the study, now the de facto office, returning after a few minutes with hot tea.

A deep drink of the tea, and Arthur realized too late that Walter had fortified it for him. It had been his standard way of accepting tea for years, and habit and instructions had caused Walter to pour a shot of alcohol into his drink.

He'd managed to forget how it soothed, how it healed and numbed. And his second cup of tea had substantially less tea, and substantially more scotch.

x x x x x

Deep under the mansion, two red eyes glowed in pleasure. 


	66. Chapter 66 : Plotting

*This is the story that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends... I'd planned for a quick wrap-up, the story disagrees, so I'll just write it as it happens!*

Plotting

Alucard had remained quiet most of the night. By midnight, Arthur had gone down to check on him one final time, finding the vampire lightly dozing, still curled up in his coffin.

It was unusual; Alucard literally slept like the dead, on his back and looking very corpse-like. Arthur shrugged, a bleary, drunked shrug. The vampire was only lightly napping, it was still the middle of the night, after all. He moved closer, running his finger through the fine, black hair.

Oh, what was he going to do with the monster? With Walter around, Alucard's services weren't necessary. He'd murdered 30 innocents only a day ago. He was insane, unstead, and unreliable.

And he was family. And Arthur was torn.

He might have to kill Alucard. But could he? Was it even remotely possible to kill him? Grandfather hadn't managed it, and the vampire had become exponentially stronger in the decades of service to Hellsings.

Could he force the vampire to stay in the basement? Keep him away from everyone else?

No. Alucard wasn't terribly social, but simply forcing him to stay in the basement for a few days for harassing the soldiers had been a very effective punishment. Years and decades of this would literally destroy the scraps of sanity his monster had left. He sighed, and two dazed red eyes cracked open, looking up at him with trust.

x x x x x x

Arthur was drunk. He'd stumbled on the stairs, but not fallen, and now he was petting Alucard like some cheap whore he'd hired for the evening. The vampire kept every trace of his reaction off his face, waiting to lure Arthur into a greater sense of safety and relaxation.

He wanted to read Arthur's mind, but even the most minor of his powers were Sealed away. The lesser ones required no invocation, and he'd long since gotten used to simply pulling on the Seal and using them whenever he felt like it. It was a shock to find those so entirely barricaded from him. He and Abraham had wrought better than they knew.

If he broke the bond, he'd have access to every one of those abilities, but he'd toyed with the idea already and decided not to. He wanted to kill the soldiers. If he released the binding, he'd absolutely go mad. Arthur would die. And Walter. And everyone. And while the killing would be glorious...the soldiers might escape. That could not be allowed.

So instead, he blinked up at Arthur, accepting the clumsy pats, and then watched Arthur lurch upright and stagger to the door. Not just drunk, no, but utterly exhausted. As he left, Alucard set his hook.

He whined.

x x x x x

Arthur froze, hand on the door, and turned to see a pair of stressed crimson eyes focused on him. The vampire was half out of his coffin, and still had that timid, frightened look.

Damn.

"Alucard, I have to leave to sleep." The vampire bit his lower lip, fangs denting in, and looked imploringly at Arthur. Shit. Alucard clearly did not want to be alone, and it was his own damn fault for waking the monster.

More firmly. "You're just fine down here."

Soft red eyes, and a very quiet, pleading "Master..."

Damn, damn, damn. It wasn't Alucard's fault he'd snapped, not really. His daughter had died, and both Abraham and Alucard together had indicated many times that killing a vampire's child was an excellent way to disable the mature vampire. He'd clearly lost his mind, a temporary insanity, and had not come close to recovering.

He hadn't been aggressive, or even manipulative until now. And Arthur had assured him that his daughter was safe...and then taken no steps to ensure her safety, either. It was very much his fault, his incompetence, that had caused Amanda's death, Alucard's broken mind, and the resulting deaths of his men.

And he was just drunk enough to be deeply guilty and remorseful. And damned if he didn't need some physical comfort, himself.

The vampire still had that enormous old bed. And Arthur was far too exhausted and drunk to care if it was musty or not.

He was asleep in moments, Alucard nestled against his chest.

x x x x x x

Unseen, the vampire grinned.

This was going to be far easier than he'd thought. 


	67. Chapter 67 : Scheming

*I finally set my butt back down and plowed through a case of writer's block. Rereading the other stories helped, too. Here we go! Not the end, but close.*

Scheming

The teams had been efficient. And Arthur had instructed them not to try to save or repair any of the bloody and shredded walls, ceilings, carpets, furniture, windows, and other remains of his rampage through the Estate. Instead, the men had simply pulled them up, torn them loose, and hauled them off.

And a team of carpenters were hired in the future to work on the restoration. But Arthur didn't want to even see a faded bloodstain, anywhere. He knew he'd have enough nightmares about this without any reminders. He'd slept well last night and this morning in Alucard's bed, and a full lunch had done wonders for his mind and focus.

The last of the ripped-out sections were leaving already. A big workforce and the requirement to only remove, not restore or repair, had meant that things went very quickly indeed. A great bonfire was being held at the end of the Estate fields to get rid of the bloodstained lumber and carpets, and within a few more hours, the physical remains of this incident would be gone. Only repairs would be left.

And Alucard.

Right now, so very soon after the loss of his daughter and his mindless rampage, Alucard was surprisingly biddable. Quiescent. Needy. But Arthur, even knowing how destructive that beast could be, had been caught entirely unaware. Working with Walter, containing Alucard again had almost been impossible. And if Walter hadn't been there, the death toll would have been greater.

And even now, Alucard was only staying in his room because Arthur demanded it, commanded it. The beast had already broken a Hellsing command, in place since Abraham's time, to not attack the troops, and Arthur had thin faith in his ability to keep the vampire safely away from the others of his household.

Walter was summoned, and while Alucard slept, the vampire's books were brought out and Abraham's old notes revived.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Walter's normally impeccable appearance had a dirt-smudged nose, his hands and white shirt gray with the dust from the books that had been undisturbed for most of a century. While they'd been clean and safe inside their crates, the crates had been covered in dust and cobwebs and both men bore the grime of decades on their skin. Alucard had slept through it all, unaware that they were in the basement.

"Look." Arthur's brief command brought Walter's eyes to the journal he held open. "Abraham apparently considered something similar, and Beatrice took it further. When they didn't know if I'd work out or not." Walter's black eyes scanned the page as he took the proferred journal from Arthur.

Shocked black eyes met steel gray ones. "He'd be locked up, it would drive him mad! We can't."

"We can. Alucard helped design this himself. Read the next page." Walter's silence for the next few minutes told Arthur all he needed to know.

Alucard had planned for a time when he might not have a suitable candidate to choose from. A room could be prepared as a tomb, the coffin removed to keep the vampire weak and sleeping for years...decades. The Seal that controlled Alucard's abilities could be enlarged, placed on the entire door, controlling his body as well, physically forcing him to remain in place.

He wouldn't leave the vampire entirely vulnerable, no. Opening the door, someone gaining access to the vampire, would restore his ability to wake and escape, to defend himself. But he would go mad, isolated for so long.

And even that was accounted for. On a handful of occasions, Alucard had linked himself to a Hellsing with a blood bond. It would fade after only a few days, but it gave the vampire access to a human's minds and thoughts and experiences. Beatrice's notes indicated that any Hellsing would be able to form a more advanced bond with Alucard. He would be able to use the human's eyes and other senses as a form of escape...and avoid madness. The full master/servant bond was not needed, this was different. It required a Hellsing descendant, but not one of Master quality. Any of his simpering cousins would work.

For a moment, the thought of walking away from Hellsing entirely dangled its tempting lure in front of Arthur. Only a moment. For he had lost over a score of men to the vampire, and he knew how it hurt. If he didn't lead Hellsing, if someone unpracticed took the reins, his own pain would echo across the country in the losses of others. Preventable losses. And so dutifully, he would stay.

They'd planned for Arthur to be useless. Damn them and bless them. Beatrice and Alucard had planned for the vampire to sleep away, waiting for a suitable heir, planned a means to keep him at most half-awake and satisfied and sane. The information had never made it into Beatrice's little handbook, but her organizational skills had made it easy for them to find.

And since Alucard was nearly awake, the sun setting, it was just in the nick of time.

x x x x x x x 


	68. Sealed

Red eyes cracked open after sharp ears told him he was alone, and Alucard indulged in an enormous and evil grin. Arthur was pitying him, the guilt was practically rolling off the man, and he was falling back into his old drunken patterns. It wouldn't be long before he was able to finish his hunt, to take his vengeance on the murdering bastards, and the glee almost consumed him. He let it...for if he lost any concentration at all on what he would do to those men, he'd remember Amanda. And that was simply more pain than he could begin to bear.

And so he stretched in his coffin, idly testing his bounds, pushing at them and pulling at the Seals. Not hard, no, but he needed to see what was there, what he could access.

Not a damn thing.

An irritated hiss, for he'd hoped Arthur would have relaxed a bit by now, and he was out of the coffin, pacing. Hungry, he was hungry, for while he'd feasted, it had been too long ago. He wanted fed, dammit. Where the hell was Arthur? He felt through the bond for his Master, finding him in the house but preoccuppied. Not drunk, simply focused entirely on something else. Attempts to find out what, exactly, were met with resistance. Another hiss, for why wasn't he being fed? A huff, a growl, and then more pacing.

It was far too long before he heard steps on the stairs. Arthur, it was Arthur, and he quickly schooled his face into a look of hunger and fear. He was at the door as soon as it opened, whimpering and whining about his hunger.

x x x x x x

Hungry. It was entirely pathetic, almost too much so, and Arthur watched the vampire with the beginnings of suspicion. However, the beast drank the entire bottle and most of the second, with vague and unconcious whines and moans of appreciation. Remembering the glee in his eyes as the vampire had gone after his men, Arthur shuddered...but it appeared the vampire really had been that hungry, and worried. Whether it was about the delay in his supper or what, Arthur didn't know. He'd felt the cold mental fingers of the vampire in his head, trying to find out what he was doing, and had blocked him, and it was possible the beast was worried about that.

Finished with his meal, Alucard sighed deeply, coming back to himself to focus on Arthur. The vampire gave every impression of having been so hungry and focused on his meal that he'd temporarily been oblivious to what was around him, and despite the stress of the situation, Arthur found himself smiling. The damn beast could be so child-like sometimes, so needy. He pulled Alucard over to the bed, seating himself comfortably against the headboard with pillows piled behind him. It was a matter of moments before the vampire had cuddled against him, and those confused red eyes looked up at him.

"Master...what is wrong? I can't remember, you won't let me in your head, I couldn't leave to eat, what's happened? You were so tired. Were you sick? Where is Walter?" The questions tumbled out, the vampire's voice stressed and thin, red eyes intent and anxious.

"Alucard...something went very, very wrong. It's best you don't remember what happened, but you'll need to stay down here for now. Don't worry about it, don't try and remember. Just eat, rest, and recover." The vampire whined softly, pressed against him.

"But...no one is HERE!" The vampire nearly wailed this, pressed against him...and Arthur remembered how needy it could be for attention. It might go days at a time without being seen, without interacting, but it regularly required some sort of attention. Hell, it would resort to the most ridiculous pranks if it thought it was being ignored, find the most bizarre ways to entertain itself... He couldn't leave it alone. Not for the number of days it would take Walter and himself to prepare and seal the room. And they'd have to hurry, too...or those little cold fingers would find out what they'd planned.

"I'll come to visit you every night, and bring you your dinner, like tonight." Red eyes looked up at him, pleading. The vampire was still blatantly unsettled and nervous about not knowing what had happened, what was happening, and Arthur unbent a bit more. "I'll bring some work down here, maybe sleep down here with you. Would that help?" The vampire nodded, chewing slightly on his lower lip, brow furrowed slightly as he looked up at Arthur.

"Shouldn't I just come to your office?"

"NO, Alucard." It was a bit more forceful than he intended, but he...the blood...the sheer carnage...NO. He didn't want the vampire anywhere near his office, possibly ever. The monster cringed slightly, and he sighed. "No, Alucard. You have to stay here. Walter and I will visit you, and bring you food, you aren't abandoned. But I need you to stay here, it's very important."

"Why? Will you tell me why?" The red eyes were confused, frightened...with his command, he was upsetting decades of habit for the beast, and it was confused and worried that it had done something wrong. Well, it had. Very wrong. Very, very wrong. But it didn't remember, and he wasn't about to tell it.

"No, Alucard. You'll remember on your own eventually, I'm sure."

Alucard grumbled, but acquiesced, and Arthur left to get a bit of paperwork. It was so cold down there...a bit of scotch wouldn't hurt either, to keep him warm. While most of the things had to stay out of sight of Alucard, who would wonder and ask about hospital bills and letters to the families of the deceased and more, and possibly recover inconvenient memories...he wouldn't worry about or be concerned with ordering kitchen supplies, paying carpenters, or more mundane subjects. The vampire remained curled against his side for the hour or so he worked, occasionally asking a vague question or random comment. It was more to reassure himself that Arthur was there and still cared for him, and Arthur was quick to recognize that childish need for attention.

It was a vicious, bloodthirsty, murdering monster...and it was his charge, his responsibility, his...family. His hand ran through the lank locks of black hair as his eyes scanned the pages of information.

xx x x x x

Alucard watched Arthur leave, a bit tipsy, but somber, nearly morose. The man was so guilt-racked with what Alucard had experienced, his part in the death of Amanda, the resulting massacre of all those honest, trusting, loyal soldiers... Alucard wanted to laugh. Arthur had fallen for his helpless and confused act so thoroughly he was nearly counting down the minutes to his freedom. And the remaining vengeance he'd been denied.

x x x x x x

Asleep and drunk. YES! Alucard uncurled from Arthur's side, a malicious and bloodthirsty grin stretching across his features. Arthur was not, entirely, asleep, and not, entirely, drunk. And it made him...susceptible. Half asleep, half-dreaming, when Alucard had whined in a childish voice that Walter should be there, he'd gotten Arthur's command to go retrieve the boy. In seconds, he was up the stairs, mouth gaping in a bloodthirst grin, racing to the barracks.

EMPTY!

WHERE WERE THEY!

His fury escaped him, a thundering shriek of rage and thwarted vengeance, and he felt Arthur jerk away below him as the rage slammed through their bond as it ripped through the air.

They were GONE!

Snarling, he threw a cot across the room, stalking, eyes blazing and hair waving above his head, ready to find them, to kill them! DEATH! AMANDA! They would DIE!

NO!

Arthur was awake! No! But the bond slammed into him, Arthur calling him, forcing him back, and Alucard twisted, his body reflecting his internal fight. He would NOT go back down, he had people to rend, to kill, walls to paint red with blood, vengeance to take!

They were there, Walter, Arthur, and Alucard hissed, they would NOT be taking away his revenge, NOT! But the bonds slammed into him and Walter unloaded a series of blessed bullets into his head. No! Not Walter! He shrieked at the betrayal, temporarily stunned, as Arthur pummeled him with the bond. Damn, damn, not so drunk as he'd thought! No! Wires, the wires, he fought and panted but was almost blind with the pain from the bindings, the Seals, and Arthur now shot him, again and again, and he couldn't heal, struggled to pull himself together. Walter, no! Walter, he was so confused, fighting to heal, Walter had wrapped him even tighter, what, NO!

The stake through the heart knocked him to his knees, his skull a bloody pulp from bullets, and he collapsed. Walter and Arthur, soaked with his blood, watched him wide-eyed and panting.

x x x xx

They'd shoved him in the coffin, sitting outside the door, leaning on it, simply recovering. He'd been damned near out of control again, and Arthur knew this was it. There was no chance of controlling him. Not now. He'd felt those bonds between them snapping and cracking, and the vampire was mad with grief and rage. Next time, he just might break those Seals, might destroy the binding between himself and the Hellsings, be entirely out of control.

There couldn't be a next time.

They'd found the spell, and it was time to prepare the room. They'd have to pull him out of it to finish the procedure, he couldn't be in the spell as it was made...but they could get a hell of a lot done. And while the vampire was unconcious, he and Walter painted the door with Arthur's blood. Alucard's blood was needed, too...but they were both coated with it, and grimly realized that he'd lost enough, had enough soaked in by their own clothes, to finish the part of the sigil that needed his blood. Arthur and Walter were weak-kneed by the time they'd finished their part...but it was done.

x x x x x x x

He could hear them outside. It was the next night, and he hurt. Damn them. The stake was still in him, they'd left it there, the miserable bastards. He'd whined a bit, but it hurt, it hurt. He couldn't heal, not well...he needed blood. He could smell blood, so much of it, but none for him. None at all. Growling, motionless, he glared at the ceiling. Fury, pure fury... He had fooled them, gotten Arthur trusting and drunk, manipulated the man into releasing him, gone to kill the soldiers, and Arthur had gotten they away! Gotten them away, woken up, SHOT HIM. Master had SHOT HIM with silver, blessed silver, it still hurt, still burned.

Betrayed and angry, his thoughts tumbled about though his body was still and silent.

x x x x x x

"Think it'll work?" Walter's voice was dubious as he eyed the pile of straps in front of them.

"It had better." Arthur sighed, tired and sagging eyes on the straightjacket, of sorts, that sat in front of them. "If I didn't have a questionable reputation about my sexual tastes before this, I do now. The leathermaker was convinced I had some sort of immoral use for it." A quirk of the lips. "If only he knew just how immoral. It's going on a VAMPIRE. But he could make it in only a few days. His 'normal' customers tend towards them, mmm, novel and exotic...this is apparently just a bit more involved." The man who'd made the suit normally supplied the more experimental and wealthy people with their sexual props, and already possessed a selection of rather...unique...apparel. Arthur had found something that would form a basis for the suit, had given the man the measurements, and a very, very large bonus if it was finished within the week.

And here it was. Sturdy, very sturdy, made of solid leather straps with thick iron buckles. Arthur had checked the bolts on the walls, and made certain he could buckle the vampire in. Iron would have damaged the vampire, so long held by that inflexible material and he'd have had great galls in his flesh. Leather was softer. It flexed, it bent, it wouldn't injure him...but it damn well would hold him. His arms could be strapped behind his body, his legs strapped together, the entire thing strapped to the wall. And they had to get it on the vampire first. Not so difficult, not with him so weak, with the stake in him.

And they needed more blood, too. And backup, because their hands would be full with sealing the beast away, and someone else would be needed to fire those bullets when the vampire resisted.

The half-dozen remaining soldiers were the only ones willing to return with Alucard still free, and they had vengeance on their mind as much as the beast did.

x x x x x

What were they doing?

He could feel their hands, hot on his chilled body, as they carried him from the room to the hallway. Bright light, and clinks, rustling...the smell...of horse harness? He would have frowned if he could have moved. People talking...HE KNEW THAT VOICE! DEATH! He pulled on his very last reserves, forcing his body to heal, to move. He'd collapse after this, but he'd kill them first! KILL THEM!

x x x x x

They'd have sworn the vampire was immobilized, but it launched up from the stiff, bloodied corpse it had been, suddenly a mass of grinning teeth and blazing eyes. It laughed, a swirling, toothy, furious killer. Red coat reformed and flaring about it, the vampire laughed, and laughed, and laughed. It laughed, insane and angry and delighted, turning to attack the remaining soldiers while Arthur and Walter were entangled with the leather strips. Dropping them, Walter lifted his hands, wires spinning out and gleaming, and Arthur slammed on the seals. And a dozen, two dozen, more, bullets ripped into the monster. The grin didn't fade, but the step towards the men was followed by a second, slower step, then a stagger...

The silver lines flared out, the binding crashed down on the monster, but it was already falling, collapsing to the floor, a look of shocked and cheated vengeance on its twisted features.

x x x x x x

They reloaded their guns, watching the vampire, waiting for a single move, but it was motionless. Arthur had trussed it up like a turkey, and gone to each man, draining a bit of blood. That blood now glistened on the door, providing yet more power to the containment spell, the spell anchored by Hellsing blood. Behind them, the coffin sat athwart the hallway.

Arthur looked to Walter, all of Hell in his tired, miserable eyes.

"It's time."

x x x x x

Alucard woke as they finished, but sat silently. Arthur gave him a taste of his blood, pulling on the bond between them, allowing Alucard a trace into his mind, more permanent than any bond so far. He could feel it, the steady drain, the faint loss of strength he'd never regain. He'd probably doomed himself to an early death with this, for the vampire would leech off his being until he died, draining a little more of his vitality each day.

It was the price he'd pay for failing the vampire and his men so very badly. His protracted death was a small price compared to what they had all given. The lives of his men, the loss of Walter's close companion, his own friend and dependent...and Alucard's freedom. He accepted the drain stoically, ignoring the vicious, taunting, insane grin the silent vampire leveled at him.

x x x x x

The door snicked closed.

His own blood completed the last of the outline, sealing away the vampire, forcing it to sleep. He could feel it fighting in his head, but slowly, slowly, those cold fingers shrank back, warmed, vanished. It could only watch now, feel...but could not pry, could never control.

Crying softly, he sent the others away, listening as Walter showed them where to store the coffin.

Behind that door was his greatest failure. He wouldn't fail again. He'd raise someone able to control the beast, lead it...support it, protect it.

He failed in his job.

He'd raise someone that wouldn't.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he left the cold, silent room and its sleeping prisoner.

END.

I'd thought about doing a brief chapter about why the rooms were sealed off. It would be to keep Alucard safe, undisturbed. After all, he's vulnerable and there are a few, very angry vampire hunters who know right where he is. So all that area would be shut down, sealed off. But I didn't really want to get into that, and I liked where it ended.

It's done now, really done. It took a long time for me to figure out where I wanted to go with this last chapter, how to bring the story back to where I wanted it to be. I wanted to show that scene in the anime, where he turns to grin at the soldiers and they shoot him.

I think I did it :)

Thanks all! 


	69. Christmas Present

Renewal Christmas

(As a little "Thank you" for all the readers and reviews I've had, I decided to add a little Christmas Chapter to all three of my older stories. I hope you enjoy!)

Beatrice had been more than a bit surprised to find that little Walter had never had a snowball fight. It had taken time for the quiet and withdrawn child to learn to play and cause constant, childish havoc once she'd returned and taken over as Master, but he'd done so. And with a vengeance.

And so she'd chased both Walter and Alucard, in his guise of Walter's childish playmate, out the door with instructions to entertain themselves outside until they'd worked off some of that energy. Walter had been utterly puzzled by this command, and she'd told him to go throw snowballs or something.

He'd seemed only more puzzled by this, and so Beatrice found herself outside, showing the child how to form and pack a good snowball. This progressed to snowmen, snow forts, snowfight tactics, and more, with Alucard's gleeful additions and advice.

They were well-prepared for an imminent snow battle, huge stocks of powdery white ammunition at hand, tall white walls built up, even a few snowmen with "rifles" made of sticks and twigs guarding them. Alucard's snowman was a bit creepy, he'd taken time to find red berries and added a bit of blood to show a snowghoul chewing on the arm of another snowman, but all in all, they had the makings of a great fight ahead of them.

And poor Arthur chose this moment to come home, Lord Penwood beside him, both a bit tipsy. The two forts were arranged across the entrance sidewalk from each other. It wasn't deliberate, but it had seemed the best spot for a battle, with bushes and shrubs and even a fountain to incorporate into their warfare. And Arthur and poor Penwood came walking right up the center of it.

Their language was entirely unsuitable for the ears of the two children. But Beatrice was too busy laughing and flinging her own projectiles to tell them so.

It was the best Christmas present she'd had in years. 


	70. Playing with a New Toy, Paul era

(I wanted to add a bit to this, and the "Trade" story I had going and Alucard's malicious sense of humor in that inspired this one. Hope you enjoy, and please review. Even a short "Yay! New Chappie!" is good to see for an author!)

Playing with a new toy

It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been convinced the other staff members were laughing at him.

He'd dropped the tray when taking down the remains of the breakfast dishes to the kitchen, then startled and dropped the papers that he was delivering to Sir Hellsing while in the middle of a brightly-light, entirely normal hallway. He'd jumped and startled half the table in a chain reaction last night while eating dinner, sending a couple of the maids into peals of giggling laughter afterwards. And for all anyone else could see, there was no reason at all.

No one else had seen those bright red, malicious eyes blinking at him from the portrait on the wall. If they'd have looked, they'd have only seen a little girl in a yellow frock playing with her spaniel, her eyes a faded brown in the old painting. No one else would have heard the snarl that seemed to be RIGHT BY his ear as he walked down the empty hallway, or felt that unmistakable, icy, ghostly touch trace its way along his skin, just under his ribs, right as he took a sip during his supper.

That snarl had just resulted in a mess of scrambled papers. With a leery look about the hall and shoulders hunched, he collected the papers. They'd be entirely out-of-order, but he hoped Sir Paul Hellsing would excuse the disarray. Getting this plum job with a high-ranking Lord, with all its perks and the pay, was not something he wanted to sacrifice soon. But even if the mess he'd made of the papers was excused, he wasn't sure his nerves could handle working in what he was becoming convinced was a haunted home.

x x x

Paul looked up from his work, taking in the state of the papers being timidly presented by one of his newest servants with mild surprise. Had the man fallen on the stairs? Concern for the potential damage to the young fellow nearly caused him to rise, and then he saw the expression on the face. Oh, yes. Nervous, taut, a sheen of sweat, eyes darting to the pictures with suspicion...Alucard had been at him.

"Thank you for bringing these. I take it you dropped them on the way?" No hint of censure was in his tone, but the man immediately began to stammer an apology. Paul cut him off. "No, don't apologize. Accidents happen," A sigh with a touch of a groan, "especially in this house. So, what was it? An invisible hand grabbing your ankle? A shriek in your ear? A gust of wind? Or did he settle for just a chuckle, you know, the sort that makes kids wet themselves?"

The look of shock and gratitude that he might be believed and the suspicion that his Lord was having one over on him ran across the assistant's face. With a reassuring smile, Paul soothed the man a bit. "We have a very talented prankster living here. I do reassure you, you are entirely safe here, but you're new, and he's often bored. With nothing else to do and you as a new diversion, you're currently receiving the brunt of his attentions." He rose, patting the man's shoulder, and moving to the bar.

A few fingers of good whisky later, and a much calmer man was traveling through the hallways back to his work. Paul gave the mess of paperwork a disdainful look; he knew William had spent the last few days working on it, and now all of Winter's hard work was a scrambled catastrophe. The glare he'd leveled at it changed to a grin.

It was midmorning. Alucard would hate this. But it was his fault, and someone had to put them back in order...and it would keep the beast busy for at least a bit.

"ALUCARD! GET YOUR UNDEAD RUMP UP HERE AND FIX YOUR MESS!" He wasn't angry, but had found out that Alucard's greatest joy in unlife was irritating him, and he played along. He suspected the vampire suspected he was faking annoyance, but was equally pleased by his efforts to keep the bored creature appeased.

This, though, would not appease the vampire. The undead bastard might leave his coffin to torment someone during the day on rare occasions, but having to sit and sort paperwork during a bright and sunshiny morning was a perfectly appropriate punishment.

x x x x

The vampire had sulked the entire time, slinking off to his room looking like nothing so much as a disgruntled cat. Paul was sure the beast was plotting his revenge for the morning. Alucard had spent the time crouched in the shadow of the desk to sort the papers, making his misery utterly obvious. Now he'd be planning a retaliation...which ought to give the staff a bit of a break from his attentions for the next day or so.

Humming happily, Paul rang for lunch. 


	71. Chapter 71 : Artistry

*Just wanted to get at least a short something up to be read. And I didn't have much about John's very short Mastery, either.*

Artistry

Alucard scowled up at Beatrice's retreating back.

He hadn't deserved that scolding. He hadn't.

He'd gone hunting with John, and Beatrice had made it quite clear that he was to stop stressing his Master. He'd kept that in mind on the hunt. He'd made sure to destroy the voice box immediately, so no one could hear the screaming and John wouldn't be...upset. And after he'd killed, he'd even made sure to clean all the blood off himself instead of wearing the smears as a sort of proud, bloody trophy to display to his Master.

It was annoying to have to go to such lengths, his Master ought to be able to handle any bloody screaming mess he created, but Beatrice had been quite firm. John was unnerved by such displays, and he was to Stop It. Or Else.

So he had. He hadn't even spooked the troops when he reported back to John.

It wasn't HIS fault they'd gone to do cleanup and John had gone with them. The creature had been Faie and would have evaporated with the morning light, there was no need to do a cleanup at all. Apparently, John had decided to satisfy his curiousity about what a Faie "pet" looked like, and also teach the troops how to do a clean-up in a situation where any mistakes wouldn't cause problems.

John had been horrified.

Humans. NO understanding of artistry. He'd been quite pleased with the final arrangement of parts and the distance the blood had sprayed, himself.

And now Beatrice was angry at him, too.

Some nights it simply was not worth getting out of the coffin. 


End file.
